Francis Ngannou Training Partner Ciryl Gane Seeks Quick Turnaround at UFC Copenhagen

Octagon debut
Octagon win
Octagon finish

@Ciryl_Gane makes a statement in his UFC debut! #UFCUruguay pic.twitter.com/UGRTgkC3Bi

— UFC (@ufc) August 10, 2019

After a scoring a quick submission victory in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, Ciryl Gane wants to make a quick turnaround for his sophomore Octagon appearance.

Gane, who generated some buzz before his promotional debut as Francis Ngannou’s training partner, submitted fellow UFC newcomer Raphael Pessoa with an arm-triangle choke 4:12 into the opening stanza of their preliminary heavyweight encounter at UFC Uruguay on Saturday night. Prior to the finish, Gane was measured and efficient, landing 68 percent of his significant strikes to his opponent’s 17 percent.

It was Pessoa who attempted to shift gears by landing a trip takedown before Gane quickly reversed into top position. From there, he secured the submission and used the cage for leverage to elicit the tapout. The former TKO MMA heavyweight champion has finished all four of his career victories inside the distance.

“It was a surprise to get the finish, but I have been training my ground game a lot,” Gane said. “I don´t know what is next, but I would like to fight as soon as possible. Copenhagen would be a good place.”

Gane references UFC Fight Night 160, which takes place at Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark on Sept. 28. The card is headlined by a middleweight showdown between Jack Hermansson and Ronaldo Souza and airs on ESPN+. The lineup for the event is not complete, so there is a possibility that Gane’s suggestion comes to fruition.