Paul Rouget, Media365: published on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 8:19 p.m.

Still undefeated, Ciryl Gane (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), 7th in the UFC heavyweight rankings, faces Saturday night in Las Vegas the Surinamese Jairzinho Rozenstruik (n°4). A fight that could bring "Bon Gamin" into another dimension...

Ciryl, why did you arrive in Las Vegas almost two weeks before your fight?Rather than coming later and training alone in Paris, I left with my trainer Fernand Lopez, who was coming to coach Nassourdine Imavov (the Franco-Dagestani middleweight of the MMA Factory, beaten last Saturday by majority decision by Phil Hawes, editor's note). It also allows me to better adapt to jet lag. Concerning Las Vegas, it's the second time that I fight here and I'm starting to have my bearings and my habits. Afterwards we are not really allowed to leave the hotel and the only place where we can go every day to train is the UFC Institute, where they are really at the cutting edge of sports technology. . Do you feel since your arrival in the United States that your status has evolved? There is a little bit of hype. It kind of makes sense because I'm in the main event so there's a lot more interest. In terms of rankings, we're slowly starting to get closer to the top, so those are things that go with it. Like seeing each other for the first time on the fight poster...I think that's the thing which pleases me the most (laughs). That's what excites me the most, like, "Too good, there's my head on the poster!" It's cool because I've signed several posters before fights, but it was never with my head on it. In addition the poster is very pretty. I will try to get more...

"I feel, in people's eyes, that my status has changed"

What do you expect against Jairzinho Rozenstruik? He's a guy who has just arrived in the top 3 of the UFC (he has since fallen to 4th place, editor's note), a young fighter, a bit like me. And he is someone who is fresh compared to Junior Dos Santos, who has done a lot, but not recently. It will be the biggest test of my career. But I feel very good, especially physically. We have set up our game plans, and done things that give us confidence. I'm ready. Besides the goal of becoming UFC heavyweight champion, are you also aiming for the unofficial title of coolest fighter in the UFC, which belongs to Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson? Oh yes, very clearly ! (laughs) I think I'm like that, that's my character, and I would love to, that's something I would like. But there is one more detail, which I always talk about since I started: my English. To make people understand more what character I am, even if you can already see that I'm a cool guy. But I don't work enough on it, I'm a very bad student. And yet it should, because it directly impacts my career. I'm really going to get into it after my fight. But my coach (Fernand Lopez, editor's note) tells me that with each fight I repeat that, and here I say it on purpose in front of him... (laughs) Is he tired of playing the translators, that is it for you or some other MMA Factory fighters? No! (laughs) But he would like us to be really independent and to be able to better express our thoughts. We were talking about your image in the United States, what about in France? people, that my status has changed. I am more and more recognized. And then I don't like to use that word, but I feel that there is enthusiasm, and also respect.