Ciryl Gane's coach claims that Frenchman 'knocked down' Francis Ngannou in training: 'I will release the video'

F. Ngannou and C. Gane face each other in the UFC 270 for the unification of the title. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

With less than 20 days left until the long-awaited fight for the UFC heavyweight belt, between Francis Ngannou e Cyryl Gane, the rivalry between former teammates only grows. A recently leaked old training video contributed to the growth of this rivalry.

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The footage, which went viral on social media, doesn't show much, but it's possible to see that the interim champion had an advantage over the current champion, especially in terms of speed. Recently, Francis Ngannou claimed that the video had been manipulated by his former gym. Accusations that were refuted by coach Fernand López.

“If we had changed the speed of one of them, then we would have manipulated it. There is no doubt that this was Francis Ngannou. However, that footage doesn't tell the whole story of what happened in training. There were several opportunities where each one got the better of the other in sparring. Could we have manipulated this?” asked López in an interview with the “LowKick MMA” website.

Still according to the coach, there is a reason why Ngannou does not want the entire footage to be released. López stated that, during the same training session, the Cameroonian went to the canvas after receiving a knee from the Frenchman in the waist line.

“He didn’t want me to release the entire footage because in this specific training session, Francis Ngannou he received a knee in the waist line and went to the ground. All training stopped. They are facts. Francis was on his back on the floor. If he says this isn't true, I'll release the full footage. My manager told me not to disclose it because we have privacy at the gym. When guys train in their gym, they expect things to stay in the gym.”

True or not, the fact is that Francis Ngannou e Cyryl Gane There is a set date for them to resolve their differences and fight for the unification of the heavyweight belts. The two face each other in the main fight of the UFC 270, on January 22nd, in California (USA).