Rudy Gobert sparring with former UFC champion Ciryl Gane

Gobert and Gane are both from France and they trained together in Paris.

Rudy Gobert (right) sparring Cyril Gane (left) / @mmafactory_fr (X) /

Timberwolves star big man Rudy Gobert is ready to fight back against the inordinate amount of criticism that he has faced this offseason. Not just on social media like he did in response to Shaq, but also in real life as he's getting into shape by sparring with former UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in France.

𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭-𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐗 𝐌𝐌𝐀 𝐗 𝐊𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐠 🔥#MMAFactory pic.twitter.com/1e79wjZzMP

— MMA FACTORY PARIS (@mmafactory_fr) September 9, 2024

Gobert was back in his home country training with one of the France's best native fighters. The sparring took place at MMA Factory in Paris, which has become a world-renowned mixed martial arts gym after producing UFC champions like Gane and Francis Ngannou.

Gane is 12-2 in his professional MMA career and he notably won the interim UFC heavyweight championship in 2021 after defeating Derrick Lewis. His two losses in the UFC have come to Ngannou and Jon Jones.

Gane is listed at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds and Gobert is listed at 7-foot-1, 260 pounds, so while the training was just for fun, it looked like a fascinating matchup with two massive athletes. The two native Frenchmen in their mid-30s grew up nearly six hours apart, but it looks like they've grown a friendship.

Gobert continues to receive continuous criticism, despite coming off his record-tying fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award last season. After notably having a few on-court tussles with Draymond Green, he looks to have sharpened his skills and, who knows, maybe it'll help him become even more of an enforce for the Timberwolves next season.