Ciryl Gane readying for Derrick Lewis’ power with smarter and more technical sparring partner

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title contender Ciryl Gane is just over a week away from having to defend himself against the otherworldly power opponent Derrick Lewis can unleash with his hands. For most, that is enough reason for serious concern, but “Bon Gamin” is confident heading into the main event of UFC 265 because he believes he is facing a better version of Lewis in his training.

Ciryl Gane knows he’s ready for Derrick Lewis’ power at UFC 265

Gane, 31, showed his impressive technical acumen in out striking and outpointing gigantic Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov in June. In a recent interview with “>UFC.com, he credited his work with Olympians during training for Volkov as the reason why he handled “Drago’s” size so well. He also believes his main training partner for his interim-title fight against Lewis has him just as prepared for the Houston native. Because his guy is a smarter and more technical version of the main he will face on August 7.

“We have the perfect kind of guy. He seems like Derrick Lewis. When you want to do a great camp, you need to find the perfect sparring partners to do the job,” Gane said. “He’s really smart and really technical. More than Derrick Lewis. And dangerous too with the overhand right. We’ve worked a lot on it, and I think when you’re not surprised [by the punch], you can block, you can see, you can move and I know I can move.”

The third-ranked heavyweight was asked about his game plan against the sizable individual known as “The Black Beast.” Gane believes his strategy for Lewis is no secret and will look very similar to the same one employed in his February UFC Vegas 20 victory over another heavy hitter in Jairzinho Rozenstruik. On that night, he made sure he kept moving because Rozenstruik, like Lewis, has the power to put foes away with one shot.

“It’s no surprise,” Gane said of his game plan for UFC 265. Everyone knows I can do it like I did a little bit against Jarizinho. Everybody knows a guy like Jarizinho, [or] Derrick Lewis, when this kind of guy touches you, you’re going to go down. So you must move.”

Gane (9-0) and Lewis (25-7) will headline UFC 265, which takes place on August 7 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event’s prelims will air on ESPN and ESPN+ at 7 pm ET. The main card pay-per-view (costing US $69.99) will follow at 10 pm ET exclusively on ESPN+.