Scouting Report: Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane

Born: April 12, 1990 (Age: 32) in La Roche-Sur-Yon, France
Division: Heavyweight
Height: 6’4”
Reach: 83”
Record: 10-1 (7-1 UFC)
Association: MMA Factory
Stage of Career: Prime

Summary: Gane fights like a skilled middleweight in a heavyweight’s body, with the outstanding movement of a much smaller man. He also possesses plenty of defensive and other high-level tools, in addition to an effective striking game. While not especially powerful, he is technical, and his excellent jab and strong, effective kicks are more than enough to win fights when combined with his movement and defense. He has some grappling skill, but it remains a weakness, as Francis Ngannou showed. Gane has a cast-iron chin, stellar cardio and energy management for his weight, and he is exceedingly intelligent. Clearly in his prime, he is still likely improving.

STRIKING

Stance: Switches stances but mainly orthodox.
Hand Speed: Fast. significantly above average.
Jab: Excellent. Quick, sudden and powerful from either side.
Cross: Decent, but it lacks power. He will go to the body with it, which is a plus.
Left Hook: Functional. He reaches badly with it at times and lacks some rotation.
Right Hook: Oddly superior to the left hook, with proper rotation and only a slightly wide arc.
Overhand Right: Above average. A technical strike that has a reasonable arc and some degree of power.
Uppercuts: Serviceable.
Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Throws more combinations when he sees an opening but mostly a one-shot sniper.
Favorite Combinations: He does not favor one over any other, but his technique does not degrade on successive punches.
Leg Kicks: Strong. A powerful weapon.
Body Kicks: Effective. Impactful and accurate, albeit with average velocity.
Head Kicks: Competent. Not overly quick, but they are disguised exceedingly well by his movement.
Chains Kicks to Punches: Rarely.

Gane may not be the most powerful striker in the business, but he has proven to be highly effective, dangerous and technical with most punches, though he would benefit considerably from improving his left hook. Other than that, he has exactly what an exceptionally tall fighter who wants to stay on the outside needs, especially an outstanding jab and an array of brutal, effective kicks. More importantly perhaps, his movement around the cage is remarkable and easily the best in the heavyweight division. While he does reach at times, his fantastic movement alone also grants him excellent defense—a rare skill in the weight class.

CLINCH

Physical Strength: He has been clearly strong than the average heavyweight in the clinch and enjoyed success from that route alone against lower-level opposition like Don'Tale Mayes.
Technique: Serviceable. Still a work in progress.
Knees: Stout. Able to hit the body, as well as head.
Elbows: Outstanding. Witness the beautiful, sudden, fast and technical short elbow he used to knock out Junior dos Santos.
Defense against Knees and Elbows: Good.

Gane is incredibly dangerous in the clinch, with powerful knees and perhaps the best short elbow in the entire heavyweight division. He is physically strong in close quarters but can be taken down.

GRAPPLING

Wrestling from a Shot: Average. He took Mayes down on a double-leg with his head too far to the side without fully securing the hips. However, he showed solid forward drive and posture. Those same shots were stuffed by Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Wrestling in the Clinch: Sneaky good. He used a waistlock throw against Mayes and secured a double-leg along the cage against Rozenstruik.
Takedown Defense: Can be exploited by a determined enough wrestler, as Ngannou showed.
Ability to Return to Feet: A little above average for the heavyweight division. He certainly has the athleticism but still lacks the technique.
Submissions: Basic but competent. He has an arm-triangle choke of Raphael Pessoa and a heel hook of a badly beaten Mayes, though neither of them offered much resistance.
Defense and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Fair.
Top Control: A question mark. He has never tried to corral opponent for long.
Ground-and-Pound: Still an unknown, as he has not looked to strike from the top.

Gane already has some effective offensive wrestling at his disposal, but his own takedown defense can certainly be exploited by a capable wrestler. He can also be kept down and pelted with ground-and-pound, as Ngannou proved. His own capabilities from the top remain a mystery, aside from some basic submissions. This is an area he likely continues to work on intensively, and given his tremendous improvement in other phases of the sport, it will not be a major weakness for long.

INTANGIBLES

Athleticism and General Physical Strength: Incredibly athletic, with Ngannou as the only other heavyweight to which comparisons can be drawn. He is powerful, too, but not exceptionally so.
Cardio: Sound. If he takes a more energetic approach in earlier rounds, he does begin to slow down by the midway point of 25-minute bouts. In slower-paced affairs, like the one against Rozenstruik, he barely shows any signs of fatigue—even into the fifth round.
Chin: Exceptional thus far. He ate a flush connection from the notoriously heavy-handed dos Santos and wobbled only slightly.
Recuperative Powers: Strong.
Intelligence: Outstanding. Not only is he an exceedingly calm, patient fighter who consistently makes smart decisions, but he has displayed tremendous progress from fight to fight since he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, even when there has been little time between them.