Ciryl Gane is fighting a former champion and legend of the sport in Junior Dos Santos at UFC 256. And he definitely appeared excited during the event’s media day this week.
“I’m really happy, I’m really glad for the opportunity. So thank you JDS, thank you UFC,” he told Cageside Press on Wednesday.
While Gane (6-0) readies himself for the biggest fight of his career, he does so with the knowledge that MMA is now legal in his home country of France. 2020 marked the first time French fighters could compete in their home country, which means Gane could have an opportunity to fight there soon.
“That’s really crazy. MMA started in France. It’s going to be bigger and bigger. And for me, this is a big opportunity for the French fighters, for the media coverage, for everything around that,” Gane stated.
Like many of his countrymen, Gane had to fight elsewhere as he was coming up the sport. That included Canada, where he became champ in TKO in his professional MMA debut. “Of course this is a big opportunity for me too. And this [would be] a real pleasure, [to fight] in front of my family of course, my friends and my family.”
With that in mind, Gane would love to be the first to anchor a show at home. And he sees the nation has having great potential in terms of supporting the sport. Already, UFC rival Bellator MMA has hosted a major event in Paris. Once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, it’s expected that the UFC will follow suit.
“I think in France we have a big potential for the pay per view, a big potential for the fighters, the French fighters,” opined Gane. “Already we have a lot of fighters, but it’s complicated, [they had to] go to the B organizations [because in France MMA] was not legalized. But yeah, I think France’s place is gonna grow for sure in MMA.”
Watch the full UFC 256 virtual media day pres scrum with Ciryl Gane above. The event takes place this Saturday, December 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.
