Ciryl Gane sees UFC Paris as a springboard for French MMA

Ciryl Gane can recognise a good opportunity when he sees it.

The UFC recently announced that it will stage its first event in France on September 23 at the Accor Arena in Paris after a decade-long battle with French authorities.

Gane, a former UFC title challenger, is currently set to face fan favourite Tai Tuivasa in the main event.

And while it is a chance for him to exercise his demons following his loss to Francis Ngannou, he believes that it can act as a springboard for French MMA.

“I don’t know if this is an advantage or not,” Gane exclusively told GiveMeSport.com. “But having the UFC in Paris is going to help to shine more light on young fighters. You understand?

“There are a lot of guys like my coach Fernand Lopez who have fought for the legalisation of MMA in France for a long time.

“This is going to help us have more French fighters in the UFC. Yes, 100 per cent. It’s exactly the same for every country.

“It’s a lot easier to find MMA fighters over in America. But in Europe, we have a lot of talent as well. So UFC Paris is going to help a lot of young fighters over here.”

As one of the biggest countries in Europe, France has often been seen as a potential hotbed for MMA fighters.

Gane, who recently became a co-owner of French promotion ARES Fighting Championship, identified two up-and-coming talents as ones to watch for the future.

“Unfortunately, we have a heavyweight who is doing big things in ARES, but he’s not quite ready yet,” he admitted.

“His name is Marsel Sychev. Big genetics, good wrestler, and a good striker. But unfortunately he’s not quite ready yet.

“So my second choice is Abdoul Abdouragimov. Abdoul, yes. The Lazy King. Hopefully his next fight is going to go well for him in ARES then I