Francis Ngannou vs Cyril Gan predictions

The most anticipated event of 2022 in MMA, according to Dana White, is a fight between the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, and interim champion Cyril Gan. These two have known each other for many years, they grew up as fighters, under the wing of the same coach, in the same gym, and spent more than one hour sparring.

This fight will become the headliner of the anniversary numbered tournament UFC 270 and, looking at its history, it really is believed that in the heat, in the near future, hardly anyone will be able to surpass it. Two drummers dictating different philosophies in their performances will determine who is the best heavyweight on the planet. We, in turn, will figure out which of these two giants has the best arsenal of fighting and personal qualities in order to become a triumphant this evening.

Francis Ngannou vs Cyril Gan

Francis Ngannou

Ngannu's story as a fighter is very interesting. He has no background, as he dreamed of boxing all his life, but eventually began to compete in MMA. With a 5-1 record, he was signed to the UFC on condition that The Predator was not playing for amateurs. The main merits of Francis in sports: the title of champion of the major league, and the title of the most heavy-hitting fighter on the planet.

In the octagon, he defeated such opponents as Andrei Orlovsky, Alistair Overeem, Junior Dos Santos, Curtis Blades, Stipe Miocic and many others. This is a real machine for destroying the enemy's manpower, but more importantly, Ngannu continues to learn, gets better in the fight, and has every chance to hold on to the very top for quite a long time.

Strengths

At the UFC institute, Francis's punching force was measured, and it was 1.3 tons. Remarkably, he generates such power without even using a large swing, which is why his fast hands often reach the goal, flying out at the most unexpected angles.

In an extreme performance, the Cameroonian showed the world that he is not just a boxer. Good protection against takedowns, the ability to calculate strength over longer distances than before, and patience, which he did not have until now - the athlete has pumped all this in himself in less than a year. And such steps in personal progress will definitely create many problems for his future opponents.

Even for a heavy weight, Francis is very large, dry and has long limbs. That is why it is incredibly difficult to survive under the pressure of a champion.

Weaknesses

Ngannu's main problem is that he came to the sport rather late, and the experience that usually comes to athletes at his age, in this case, has not reached its peak. He still hits too sweepingly, because of which the defense suffers, in terms of the fight he can be attributed to the beginners, albeit strong. And he is not able to fix this minus fleetingly, therefore Francis will become a ripe heavyweight years later.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

The 35-year-old Predator takes on a 5-win streak he won against Kane Velazquez, the aforementioned Dos Santos, Blades, Jairzinho Rosenstrike and Miocic. An idle time of 10 months will most likely benefit him, since during this period he has a good chance of pulling up all the shortcomings and entering the cage as a renewed fighter. But whether this will be enough to defeat the former team-mate is a big question.

Francis Ngannou vs Cyril Gan

Cyril Gan

The French athlete is rightfully ranked 1st in the division. Despite his age, Cyril began his fighting career in 2016 (in amateurs since 2014), with performances in Muay Thai. Becoming the champion of the AFMT National, and having spent 13 professional fights (13-0), he tried his hand at MMA, where he won the TKO league title, after defending it twice.

Signing up to the UFC with a 3-0 record, Gahn began a smooth climb up the ranking table, sorting out the mid-tier opposition in class first, and then switching to bigger fish like Tanner Boser and ex-champion Junior Dos Santos. Until now, no one has been able to give the applicant a competitive battle, and the pace of his development as an athlete is a little intimidating.

Strengths

The past in Muay Thai is clearly reflected in the style of fighting Cyril. However, he should rather be attributed to the gamers than to the finishers, although he also knows how to drop opponents. A minimum of fuss, ease of movement, an ideal timing for inflicting damage and leaving the line of attack - the combination of these advantages often makes Ghana inaccessible to rivals.

Some have compared Bon Gamina to middleweights who can easily fight long fights at a high pace. There are no questions about the endurance of the Frenchman, and even in 5-round fights he does not sag at all functionally. At the same time, he manages to cut corners and move so competently so as not to remain a vulnerable target that heavier opponents simply cannot keep up with him.

Cyril is interesting because he has an excellent student's syndrome - he never makes mistakes, does everything right, adheres to the battle plan and never takes risks if there is a minimal chance of getting a stray blow in return. His fighting IQ allows him to come out of tough fights clean, which few big guys can boast of.

Ghana's most important trump card is training with Francis, and training under the guidance of the person who raised Nganna like a professional.

Weaknesses

No matter how good Cyril is, and no matter how perfectly he knows the champion, one factor can negate all these advantages - the power of the Predator. One, even accidental, blow can be the final one for this meeting.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

The interim champion is 31 years old, and the fact that he is going 10-0 is certainly captivating. The victories over Derrick Lewis, Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rosenstriik made it clear that Gahn is on a different level. His progress on the ground, improvement of the technical component, build-up of striking power, leaves everyone else far behind, and there is absolute confidence that he will come out to the upcoming fight especially prepared, cold-blooded and fearless.

Comparative analysis

Assessing the anthropometry and size of the rivals, we are faced with the fact that in the context of this confrontation, all the differences between them are reduced to a draw. Ngannu is 2 cm shorter, but 5 cm surpasses Cyril in arm span. Also, it is heavier by 8-10 kg, but this indicator will be neutralized by Gan with his mobility and speed. But as soon as it comes to the style of fighting, there is a real abyss between the guys.

Francis is a bulldozer, which, although he has become more accurate, but his physical power forces him to work roughly, rely on explosive, amplitude series, and attempts to hack to death. At the same time, the champion often stands rooted to the spot, and remains a convenient target for faster athletes like Cyril. He, in turn, moves a lot, circles around the enemy, throwing light blows, and breaking the defense gradually, with an emphasis on earning points. Gan hits a lot of low kicks and processes the body, periodically willingly going to close range to tire the opponent in the clinch.

Touching on the topic of parterre, it is difficult to say who will have the advantage there. Cyril is definitely better informed in technical aspects, but he is unlikely to be able to hold the position as well as Miocic did. And physics will be enough for Ngannu to not let the applicant go there at all. So it would be silly to consider the upcoming championship fight as a wrestling confrontation.

Francis Ngannou vs Cyril Gan Fight Prediction

Bookmaker quotes will change closer to the confrontation, but for now Francis remains a favorite, albeit a small one. And this position is quite normal for him, because with such bazookas as the Predator, there is always a chance for a knockout, in absolutely any situation. But if you look at things without rose-colored glasses, then stylistically, Ngannou is quite comfortable with Cyril. He is not fast, he drops his hands during attacks, chases after finishing, stagnates a lot, and he cannot be called an admirer of the technical component of the battle. And most importantly, in 5 rounds, the muscles of the Cameroonian will weaken him, even if the pace of the fight is moderate.

Muay Thai "Bon Gamina" is able to break the legs and body of a champion, and this athlete's cardio is at the highest level. He will not stay at the net, wait for the Predator's attack either, and the challenger is also far ahead in the number of accented punches thrown out. Therefore, based on dry statistics, he has every chance of changing the temporary belt to a full one. For this reason, a bet on Cyril's victory will be a good option, but it is much more reasonable to consider such an option as total rounds, because this meeting will end quickly only in case of an unexpected attack from Francis, only it is difficult to catch Ghana with something like that. Download 1xbet to your phone and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Cyril Gan wins / Total over 2.5

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