What martial arts does Ciryl Gane use in the UFC?

French MMA fighter Ciryl Gane is known for being one of the best heavyweight fighters in the UFC. During his career, he has racked up wins against Alexander Volkov and Derrick Lewis amongst others.

As a result of his success inside the cage, he has gone on to gain a fanbase who follow him for his eclectic yet successful style of MMA. Generally speaking, it’s rare to see someone his size who is also such a good submission artist. What’s even more impressive, Gane is if not even more effective when it comes to striking. Read on to see what martial arts styles Ciryl Gane uses when fighting.

Martial arts used by Ciryl Gane

Muay Thai

Before venturing into MMA, Gane was a successful Muay Thai fighter and had a good record. Like many talented fighters, this would serve as a good base for him to begin MMA with. He made his professional Muay Thai debut back in 2016, two years before MMA. Here, he eventually retired with an impressive 13-0 record. The reason for leaving Muay Thai was possibly because the money just doesn’t compare to that which is possible as a top MMA fighter in the UFC.

In the UFC, Gane also used his Muay Thai to great effect. Against Junior Dos Santos, he showcased this when he landed some strong roundhouse kicks on the Brazilian, before knocking him out with an elbow from the clinch. This was a beautiful display of Muay Thai but also proved that Gane was more than just a powerhouse. In this fight he proved that he could fight from up close and from distance, which is obviously a very important skill.

What is the meaning of Ciryl Gane’s back tattoo?

As we’ve established, Ciryl Gane’s main fighting style is Muay Thai. Such is his dedication to the craft, he decided to get a Muay Thai tattoo on his back. As seen in the picture below, this tattoo runs down his spine and is made up of small pieces of writing. This is called a Sak Yant and is typically done by monks who are skilled at doing tattoos.

The Sak Yant acts as a good luck charm for fighters and is meant to bring them strength and success when fighting. If you look at various Muay Thai fighters then they will also be inked with Sak Yant which is understandable for Gane due to his background in the discipline. It looks as though his chest tattoo is also Sak Yant and so are the tattoos on his forearm.

Wrestling

Despite good striking, Gane is also solid at wrestling. These days it goes without saying that you have to be a good wrestler to make it in the UFC. Even if this is only from a defensive stand point. As Gane is a good wrestler, he was able to hit Derrick Lewis with a strong double leg takedown. This strategy would eventually pay dividends and put Gane into an exclusive club of men that could successfully take down the giant Derrick Lewis.

Aside from offensive purposes, Gane also uses his wrestling to defend takedowns. In some instances, he is more than happy to stand and strike which is where he can implement his Muay Thai. As you can imagine, this means that his wall wrestling and sprawls are on point. It’s a long way back if you get taken to the floor in the heavyweight division.

BJJ

Although Gane’s main method of winning is through knockout, it’s fair to say that he knows his share of submissions too. Aside from guillotine’s and arm triangle chokes, Gane has also won by heel hook which is a lower body submission. Against Don’Tale Mayes he dropped back and heel hooked his opponent with barely 10 seconds left in the fight. This was a smart move by Gane as he was in full control and it would have earned him a submission bonus.

He would later try a heel hook in his title fight against Francis N’Gannou. Unfortunately for him, N’Gannou managed to escape and eventually win. Nonetheless, this was a smart decision to try and use something different to defeat such a dominant champion and shows his versatile approach to grappling and submissions.

What does Ciryl Gane’s nickname mean?

Ciryl Gane’s nickname is Bon Garmin which is French for Good Kid. The reason for this nickname is due to his good behavior outside of the octagon. Basically, it’s true that Ciryl Gane is a good guy and has a kind attitude to his opponents. In other words, you shouldn’t expect to see him partake in any trash talk or rudeness before or after fighting.

Even whilst fighting he isn’t going to hit opponents with a cheap shot or eye poke. This is quite different from a lot of fighters who can sometimes be disrespectful, either due to emotions or mind games. As a result, it’s fair to say that Gane is worthy of his moniker.

Conclusion

Without getting too carried away, it’s fair to say that Ciryl Gane is very well rounded martial artist. Some heavyweight fighters make a career of being a slugger who focus too much on heavy punches (we’re looking at you Mark Hunt). However, this just isn’t the case for Gane who has a lot of strings to his bow. Understandably, this also means that Gane is one of the most exciting heavyweights in the UFC.