Ciryl Romain Gane (born April 12, 1990) is a French professional mixed martial artist, actor, and former Muay Thai fighter. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current and two-time Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. A professional since 2014, Gane has also formerly competed for TKO Major League MMA where he was the Heavyweight Champion. As of June 23, 2026, he is #10 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
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Early life
Gane was born in La Roche-sur-Yon in the Vendée department. His paternal family has roots in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. His father, Romain Gane was a bus driver, and footballer in the Division d'Honneur. As a youth, Ciryl played football and basketball. Despite his sporting talent, he decided to work in sales at a furniture store and he joined a work-study program in Paris. During this time, a former classmate introduced him to Muay Thai.
Muay Thai career
Gane made his professional debut on June 4, 2016, in a AFMT Muay thai heavyweight title fight against Jérémy Jeanne. He won the fight by a second-round knockout.
After a decision win against Samih Bachar, Gane was scheduled to fight the K-1 veteran Brice Guidon at La Nuit Des Titans. He beat Guidon by a third-round knockout.
Gane was scheduled to defend his AFMT title against Jonathan Gengoul at Muay Thai Spirit 5. He won the fight by a first-round knockout.
At Warriors Night, Gane beat Bangaly Keita by a third-round knockout. He was then scheduled to fight the multiple-time WBC Muaythai champion Yassine Boughanem at Duel 2. Gane won the fight by decision.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Coached by Fernand Lopez, Ciryl Gane made his professional MMA debut in 2018. He was first contracted to the Canadian MMA promotion TKO, where his first fight was for the vacant TKO heavyweight championship, against Bobby Sullivan. He won the title fight in the first round through a front choke.
He defended the heavyweight championship a month later against Adam Dyczka, winning the fight in the second round via a TKO. His third fight in TKO, and his second title defense, was against Roggers Souza, which he won in the first round by a TKO.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Gane made his promotional debut on August 10, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2 against Raphael Pessoa. Gane won the fight by an arm triangle choke at the end of the first round.
Gane faced Don'Tale Mayes on October 26, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren. Gane won the fight via a heel hook in the third round, earning him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Gane faced Tanner Boser on December 21, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Gane was scheduled to face Shamil Abdurakhimov on April 18, 2020, at UFC 249. However, on March 5, 2020, it was announced that Gane was forced to pull out from the event after suffering pneumothorax during training. The bout was eventually rescheduled for July 11, 2020, at UFC 251. Subsequently, the pairing was cancelled a second time and scrapped from this event in mid-June as Abdurakhimov was removed from the bout for undisclosed reasons. In turn, Gane was expected to face Sergei Pavlovich on August 8, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 174. Pavlovich however had to pull out because of an injury. Therefore the original fight against Shamil Abdurakhimov was scheduled again on September 26, 2020, at UFC 253; however, the bout was rescheduled again to UFC Fight Night 180 on October 18, 2020. The bout fell through once again as Abdurakhimov pulled out due to undisclosed reasons on September 28, 2020, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Ante Delija. On October 14, 2020, it was announced that the bout was cancelled due to Delija's contractual problems with his previous deal with the PFL.
Gane faced Junior dos Santos on December 12, 2020, at UFC 256. He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round.
Gane faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik on February 27, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 186. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Gane faced Alexander Volkov on June 26, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 190. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Fighting style
Gane is an orthodox heavyweight striker with a background in Muay Thai. At 6 ft 4 in with an 81 in reach, he uses unusually light footwork for the division, fighting mostly at long range behind jabs, feints, front kicks and round kicks to the leg, body and head.
His striking is generally based more on movement, volume and setups than on one-punch exchanges. He often uses small feints, stance adjustments and hand movement to draw reactions before attacking with his jab, low kicks, body kicks or lead-leg front kicks. Unlike many heavyweights, Gane rarely relies on extended boxing combinations in the pocket, instead preferring short entries, exits, angle changes and kicks to maintain distance.
In grappling exchanges, Gane has shown some offensive submission ability early in his MMA career, but his overall game is still primarily striking-oriented. His wrestling and defensive grappling have been viewed as the less developed parts of his style, especially when opponents are able to close distance, force clinches or hold top position.
Filmography
Ciryl Gane stars as Bastien in the movie KO. He is also in the 2025 film, "Den of Thieves 2" starring O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Gerard Butler.". In 2025, Gane served as an MMA judge on a French reality TV show broadcast by Netflix in 2026, l'Arène.
Personal life
Gane and his wife have two daughters. They live in Nogent-sur-Marne, in the eastern suburbs of Paris.
Championships and accomplishments
Muay Thai
Académie Française de Muay Thai
AFMT National Title +91 kg (+201 lb) (One time)
One successful title defense
Mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship (Two times, current)
Second ever UFC fighter to win an Interim Championship twice (after Justin Gaethje)
Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Don'Tale Mayes, Derrick Lewis, Serghei Spivac and Alex Pereira
Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Tai Tuivasa
Tied (Andrei Arlovski & Cain Velasquez) for second longest win streak in UFC Heavyweight division history (7)
Fifth most significant strikes landed in UFC Heavyweight division history (983)
Second highest significant strike accuracy in UFC Heavyweight division history (61.7%) (behind Alistair Overeem)
Fourth highest striking differential in UFC Heavyweight division history (3.09)
Fourth highest significant strike defense in UFC Heavyweight division history (60.9%)
UFC.com Awards
2019: Ranked #2 Newcomer of the Year
2021: Ranked #3 Fighter of the Year
2022: Ranked #7 Fight of the Year vs. Tai Tuivasa
TKO Major League MMA
TKO World Heavyweight Championship (One time)