Cyril Gane has been warned of Francis Ngannou's "screw you power" by former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker ahead of their heavyweight title fight.
Heavyweight champion Ngannou defends his title for the first time against interim titleholder Gane at UFC 270 on January 22.
Ngannou won the title by avenging his 2020 loss to Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 last March, brutally knocking out the champion to secure his fifth straight knockout win.
Gane enters the fight after a phenomenal 2021 campaign that saw him pick up three wins, ending with a stoppage victory against Derrick Lewis that earned him the interim belt.
Oddsmakers have the former training partners neck and neck ahead of their showdown and Whittaker is also unsure who will come out on top.
"That is a tricky matchup. Cyril Gane would have to be the most technical striker in the division," Whittaker told Mirror Fighting.
"His striking is just clean, you see it against Lewis as he avoided every power shot and just pieced him apart. His striking is very very high level.
"But Ngannou has that 'screw you' power. Screw your technique, screw your odds, he just hits you and it's game over."
Before his title win last year, Ngannou had won four fights by first-round knockout with three of them coming in under a minute.
The hard-hitting Ngannou has a contrasting style to his UFC 270 opponent, with Gane being an accomplished Muay Thai champion whose striking is well above the rest of his division.
Although his first two UFC wins came by submission, 'Bon Gamin' used his superior striking to frustrate his opponents and did just that to eventually stop Lewis at UFC 265.
Who wins at UFC 270, Ngannou or Gane? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
Whittaker thinks whilst Gane proved he could avoid the power of Lewis in their fight last August, Ngannou is a more complete striker than 'The Black Beast'.
And the UFC middleweight admitted he can't pick a winner of the UFC 270 title fight.
"Lewis had that too but Lewis, I don't think is as good a striker than Ngannou. I think Ngannou is a more complete version with that power," he continued.
"So if I were a betting man the safer bet would be Gane because he can just stay outside and piece him up for five rounds.
"That is a possibility and a road to victory for Gane. But Ngannou just needs to land one real big screw you pow and it's over.
"I would never rule out Ngannou for the win, I would have to say this fight is so 50/50."
