The French fighter will challenge the American icon Jon Jones, on the night of Saturday to Sunday in Las Vegas, to seize the world heavyweight belt of the UFC.
The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)Ihe world’s largest MMA organization, a practice mixing all combat sports, returns to center stage on Saturday, March 4, with a French representative in the spotlight. The prodigy Ciryl Gane, MMA fighter for barely five years, will fight a second time for the UFC world heavyweight belt, the category that brings together the most massive opponents. His own, Jon Jones, considered by some to be the greatest fighter in history, is returning to competition after a three-year hiatus.
“To face someone of this caliber is not commonrecognizes Ciryl Gane in an interview with AFP, Thursday March 2. It is undoubtedly the biggest fight of my career and I also think for French MMA”. Benoît Saint-Denis, another tricolor fighter in the UFC, goes even further. “If Ciryl wins, it could be one of the greatest clashes in the history of French combat sports”assures the former special forces soldier.
Because no Frenchman has ever won a UFC world belt
He had already had his chance, on January 23, 2022. Facing his former training partner Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane had suffered the first defeat of his MMA career, letting his world title dream slip away. After a single fight and a remarkable victory during the first event UFC organized in France, on September 3, 2022, the American organization offers him a new opportunity to achieve what no other Frenchman has accomplished: to become UFC world champion.
A title that is all the more symbolic in the queen organization of mixed martial arts fights. “Being a UFC world champion is a bit like being an Olympic decathlon champion, explains Benoît Saint-Denis. You are the best of all in many disciplines, you are a bit like the Kevin Mayer of combat sports.”
And time is running out for Ciryl Gane. Another Frenchwoman, Manon Fiorot, victorious in her first five UFC fights, is hot on her heels. “If Ciryl wants to be the first French world champion, it’s now, warns Benoît Saint-Denis. After that, I think Manon will have her title fight. But if we could have two French champions in the UFC, that would be great.”
Because his opponent is one of the best fighters in history
Following the departure of Francis Ngannou for contractual reasons, the French heavyweight will have to climb a new mountain to rise to the top of MMA. If he may be unknown in France, the name of Jon Jones resonates in all heads across the Atlantic. The youngest world champion in UFC history at 23, the March 19 2011, the American’s technical palette and combat intelligence have made him one of the best fighters of all time.
Defeated only once (disqualification for illegal blows) out of his 27 fights in the UFC, his brilliant sports career will also have been marred by slippages. of all kinds outside the octagon, between domestic violence, cdrunk driving, doping and drugs.
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After three years of stopping competition, the one who has won everything in the light-heavyweight category (-93kg) will go up a floor for the first time. An element that could be the key to the fight according to Benoît Saint-Denis: “Going from light-heavyweight to heavyweight is a huge challenge. Cyril is a natural heavyweight. The fight is really dependent on Jon Jones, we will see if he is still as competitive as he goes up a category. That’s the big uncertainty and that’s why I would still put a ticket on Ciryl.”
Because MMA has become a global sport
Growing all over the world, MMA organizations rely on a very specific marketing strategy by developing mainly online and on social networks. Un report drawn up by Nielsen in April 2022, the world leader in audience measurement, highlighted this phenomenon.
In terms of total number of views on social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok), the UFC has 6.6 billion views in 2021, in fifth position ahead of Formula 1 in particular (3.8 billion) and the Premier League (3 billion). The Asian mixed martial arts fighting league, the ONE Championship, ranks second in the rankings with 13.8 billion views, just behind the NBA (14.5 billion).
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Legalized in France since January 21, 2020, MMA is tending to become more democratic, although it is not unanimous. But the UFC organized in France in September 2022 has given new impetus to this very often criticized sport. “UFC Paris touched many more people who were not connoisseurs of the discipline, it put a flash on MMA in France, underlines Benoît Saint-Denis, who had signed a remarkable victory that evening against the Brazilian Gabriel Miranda. It is important for the development of our sport.”