Ciryl Gane's Coach Sets September Comeback, Eyes Sergei Pavlovich Showdown

Is it too soon for Ciryl Gane?

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Ciryl Gane's coach, Fernand Lopez, claims that Gane and his team are targeting his return to the UFC octagon in September, with the Russian juggernaut Sergei Pavlovich in their crosshairs.

During an interview with MiddleEasy on May 10, Lopez discussed the expectations of Gane's return since his devastating defeat to Jon Jones back at UFC 285 on March 5:

READ MORE: Jon Jones' Return at UFC 285 Was a Huge PPV Success

"[We are targeting] September .... Sergei Pavlovich would be a good opponent .... [Gane] was very affected [by the Jones fight]. As soon as the fight ended, he was like 'Jeez I f***ed up, what just happened?' It happens."

September would be a relatively quick return for Gane, who was ruthlessly exposed by Jones in their title clash on March 5.

Is It Too Soon for Ciryl Gane to Return?

It was after Gane's defeat to Francis Ngannou that some of the French striker's flaws became abundantly clear. Ngannou, the UFC heavyweight champion at the time, was not known for his grappling, yet he managed to dominate Gane with takedowns and top control.

Gane was essentially flawless on his path to Ngannou, with many fans and professionals seeing his potential. Most notably, Khabib Nurmagomedov offered to train Gane in Dagestan after the Ngannou loss.

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Nurmagomedov openly invited Gane to Dagestan during an interview with CanalPlus Sport:

"Ciryl Gane, come to Dagestan, brother. Come to Dagestan. You have to come [to] Dagestan, stay there [for one or two years and learn about wrestling.]

"He is still young for a heavyweight. He's young, right? He has to come to Dagestan and stay there, learn how to wrestle; learn how to [defend wrestling].

"Because [where is the wrestling in France?] There is too big a difference. We have heavyweights who can wrestle with him.

"After a couple of years he can become champion. Because his last fight shows his weakness; he has to learn how to wrestle; this is just advice from me."

It was an offer Gane didn't take, however, and the detriments of which were glaringly obvious when the French fighter took on Jones at UFC 285 on March 5.

Gane and his team now target his return just six months after his first decisive defeat. Pavlovich is a striker who has an average fight time of two minutes and 23 seconds in seven octagon appearances, but he does have an extensive background in Grego-Roman Wrestling.

Only time will tell if Gane has taken the time to fix his flaws and come back as a more complete mixed martial artist.

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