Interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane isn't bothered by the pre-fight animosity current heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou has shown him ahead of their title unification clash at UFC 270.
Gane spoke with CBS Sports' Shakiel Mahjouri and said the following about how he's not interested in the media narratives surrounding the fight with his former training partner, as he plans on giving respect to Ngannou when the two meet inside of the Octagon in the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Saturday night.
"For my part, yes, I'm always going to be like that. I'm authentic. I want to give respect to anyone on this Earth. This is my mindset," Gane said. "After that -- no matter if Francis wants to keep this kind of relationship -- when I jump into the cage, I'm going to do my job for the fans. This is a sport for me. Like a game. This is really like that. No more feelings beyond I want to win. That's it."
He continued on to address a potential matchup against former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones who is expected to make his heavyweight debut at some point in 2022.
"Everybody knows Jon Jones wants to jump into this division," Gane said. "This is a good fight for the money. Everybody knows that. I'm authentic. I talk like I think. So yes. Probably when I win against Francis, why not Jon Jones? I know the people want to see that fight because it would be a good match-up. He's well-rounded and I'm well-rounded. It would probably be a very technical fight."
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