Ciryl Gane's knockout of Alex Pereira has renewed attention on coach Fernand Lopez, who guided both Gane and Francis Ngannou to the top of the UFC heavyweight division. Lopez reportedly had Gane avoid rear-hand punches entirely in the first round of Gane's fight with Jon Jones, a detail that illustrated his meticulous game-planning approach. Despite his reputation for detailed preparation and talent identification, Lopez is said to be winding down his involvement in combat sports, having sold his gym, the ARES promotion, and his management business.
Ciryl Gane's recent knockout of Alex Pereira has put a fresh spotlight on French coach Fernand Lopez, the architect behind two of the most remarkable development stories in UFC heavyweight history.
Gane, 36, currently sits at number two in the UFC heavyweight division with a professional record of 14-2-0. The French fighter stands six-foot-four with an 81-inch reach and has built one of the most technically refined games in the division, landing 5.29 significant strikes per minute at a 61 percent accuracy rate. Those numbers reflect years of disciplined refinement under Lopez, who reportedly installed specific in-fight directives — including instructing Gane to avoid throwing rear-hand punches entirely in the first round of his bout with Jon Jones — as examples of the granular, opponent-specific preparation that defines his coaching style.
Jones, 38, is a six-foot-four, 84-inch-reach heavyweight and one of the most decorated fighters in the sport, carrying a record of 28-1-0 and landing 4.38 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy with 1.89 takedowns per 15 minutes. The tactical decision to limit Gane's offense against such a dangerous opponent underscores how seriously Lopez approaches match-specific planning.
Francis Ngannou, 38, from Cameroon, is the other jewel in Lopez's coaching legacy. Ngannou holds an 18-3-0 record and at one point ranked among the pound-for-pound elite, reaching number 12 on those lists. Lopez guided him from a fighter with essentially no formal combat sports background to the top of the heavyweight mountain.
Why it matters
- Lopez shaped two fighters into UFC heavyweight title contenders essentially from scratch, a rare coaching achievement at the sport's highest level.
- His reported exit from the sport — including selling his gym, the ARES promotion, and his management business — marks a significant shift in the European MMA landscape.
- Gane, now ranked second at heavyweight, continues to benefit from Lopez's foundational work even as the coach steps back from the industry.
