Ciryl Gane might not be riding the hype as he once was since his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 285 but the former heavyweight champion is far from being inactive. The French fighter was a flag bearer at the Paris Olympics and has since defeated Sergei Spivac at UFC Paris in 2023. But as we anticipate his return to the top of the ladder, there’s another question that’s been playing havoc on everyone’s mind- Why is he called ‘Bon Gamin’?
Well, the name roughly translates in English to mean, ‘good person’. And that is exactly what Gane is, which is why he’s chosen his particular moniker.
On the first episode of UFC 265: Embedded, Gane further explained his rationale behind picking the name, while he knocks out people for fun in the octagon. The French fighter is not much of a trash talker. As a matter of fact, all his trash talk is limited to dissing the opponent’s technical prowess and exposing the holes in them.
“I know I’m a good guy…. I like to love, I like to dance. But I also like to go to the war. I say babyface maybe something like that, or good kids or something like that. We’re stupid, ‘Bon Gamin’. It’s a French nickname. But that’s perfect.”
Gane further explains that this is not just a name for him, it’s his mindset.
“Bon Gamin’. Is like stay young forever, stay young in your mind forever. Stay young and do what you want to do. Stay humble. Stay everything good feeling, just good feeling. This is ‘Bon Gamin’.”
That’s certainly a great philosophy to live by. But he’s going to need more if he wants to be back to his winning days in the octagon.
Gane’s return to the future
For more context, Gane, at a time was considered to be the fighter Tom Aspinall is now. He was a heavyweight who moved like a light heavyweight, which allowed him the freedom to strike with ferocity and escape grapplers with precision. This was until he met former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannnou.
Standing and striking against Ngannou would be a 50/50 chance for any fighter on any given day. But on the night of UFC 270, Nganniu didn’t KO Gane, he took him to the ground and kept him there. ‘The Predator’ controlled the fight for five straight rounds and won a decision victory to retain his title.
After Nagnnou left the UF, Gane would fight and win against Tai Tuivasa at a UFC Fight Night in 2022 for the vacant heavyweight title and win. Unfortunately, the glory would only last so long as a few months later a returning Jon Jones would submit him in 2 minutes 4 seconds to take the title away. ‘
Gane has somewhat been lost ever since. Despite his win over Spivac, there doesn’t seem to be much of a plan for him. he is still the #2 in the heavyweight rankings and is technically right behind interim champion Tom Aspinall for a title shot. The problem is, that there appears to be a vast gap in skills, at least on the ground from this point on. And it is something he needs to work on.
Even if Jones retires tomorrow, leaving Aspinall in charge, Gane’s speed will not matter. The interim champion himself moves like a missile for a heavyweight and has the striking and ground game to back it up.
So what Gane do from here? Train of course. But whether returns to the top of the pyramid, only time can tell.
