Ciryl Gane has compared his heavyweight title fight with undisputed champion Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 to a "final boss fight" in a video game.
Interim titleholder Gane will fight former teammate Ngannou in the main event of the UFC's first pay-per-view event this year on January 22.
The pair used to train with each other at the MMA Factory in France, but Ngannou left the gym in 2018 after his relationship with coach Fernand Lopez turned sour.
Gane has won seven consecutive fights since debuting for the UFC in 2019, with his most recent coming against top contender Derrick Lewis last August.
'Bon Gamin' admitted this fight is different to his past bouts in the promotion as Ngannou is his biggest test.
“The champion is a really great fighter, who has a lot of strength, and this is the final boss to my video game,” Gane told The MMA Hour.
“But like every time, if I make a mistake, it’s going to be OK. If I lose, I’m really OK with that. Like every fight in my career went like that.
"At this time, yes, I want to do the last step. That’s why it’s a little bit different. This is the big thing."
Oddsmakers had Gane and Ngannou neck and neck when their fight was announced, but the interim champion is slightly favoured as the fight edges closer.
Ngannou could be a free agent if he loses to Gane, but will owe the UFC another fight if he wins because of the champion's clause in his contract.
'The Predator' is keen to test himself in the boxing ring against the likes of Tyson Fury and is demanding a clause in a new UFC contract that would allow him to do so.
The undefeated Gane was visibly confused after Ngannou snubbed him and former coach Lopez whilst walking past the pair backstage at UFC 268 last year.
Who wins at UFC 270, Ngannou or Gane? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
Ngannou also gave the cold shoulder to his former teammate Nassourdine Imamov - who had just won his fight at the event - something Gane labelled as "wrong".
“This is wrong, for me, it was wrong. That’s it. It was just for Fernand Lopez but it was a little bit [of] shame," he explained.
"Because you have your future opponent, you have your former sparring partner, [and] also Nassourdine Imamov.
“Nassourdine Imamov did a lot of sparring for Francis Ngannou, maybe the biggest sparring he had in his career. So that’s why we were a little bit ashamed.
"He just won his fight in Madison Square Garden. That why it was a little bit shame, that’s why it was a little bit wrong for me.”
