Francis Ngannou says Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis were fighting for the No. 2 contender spot at UFC 265

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou said that Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis were fighting for the No. 2 contender spot at UFC 265.

Ngannou is the UFC heavyweight champion and he was initially unhappy that Dana White booked this interim title fight between Gane and Lewis for UFC 265 given that he just beat Stipe Miocic back in March to win the title. In any case, Ngannou knows that the winner of Gane vs. Lewis will be next up for the belt, and so he watched the fight on Saturday night. Before the fight started, he shared a video where he made the joke that Gane and Lewis were fighting not for a real UFC belt, but rather for the No. 2 contender spot in the UFC heavyweight rankings, since Miocic is still technically the No. 1 contender in the division.

Here’s what Francis Ngannou had to say before the interim title fight started. Via @francis_ngannou. pic.twitter.com/T89NyKAuum

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 8, 2021

“The main event is about to begin,” Ngannou said. “It’s going to be a great fight, regardless, and I think we’re going to enjoy the fight. But for real, I’m the king, bro. Nothing, they are just fighting for the contender rank (not for a UFC title). No. 2 rank, actually, because Stipe is the No. 1 contender. The king is right here.”

Ngannou is technically correct here as Miocic is ranked above both Gane and Lewis at present in the UFC official rankings. However, that will now change since Gane is now the interim champ, meaning he will be ranked just one spot below the true champion Ngannou in the rankings. At this point, we just need to see these former teammates in France fight. They are two of the best heavyweights we have ever seen in the UFC and whenever they do meet inside the Octagon, it’s going to be a tremendous fight between two champions.

How excited are you to see Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane clash for the UFC heavyweight title?