Nassourdine Imavov is the French middleweight who just took down heavyweight Ciryl Gane despite giving up 30 kilograms. Hard sparring between training partners at MMA Factory took a hilarious turn when Imavov shot in and put the bigger Gane on the mat. Weight classes exist for a reason, with middleweights capped at 185 pounds and heavyweights allowed up to 265, so seeing a smaller man dump a giant raises a fun question: do they matter? The answer is yes, mostly. Imavov is unbeaten in six with wins over Israel Adesanya, while Gane meets Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14, 2026. In mixed martial arts, explosive technique, relentless timing and ruthless leverage can make devastating size advantages look optional. #ufc #mma #reels #cirylgane
A sparring session between two French stars at MMA Factory has gone viral after middleweight Nassourdine Imavov shot in and took heavyweight Ciryl Gane to the mat despite giving up roughly 30 kilograms.
The clip comes from hard sparring between training partners at the Paris gym, where both fighters train. Imavov, the smaller man by a wide margin in weight, got inside, finished the takedown and put Gane on his back. The moment has drawn attention for the obvious question it raises: how much do weight classes really matter? The answer, as the story notes, is yes, mostly. Middleweights are capped at 185 pounds and heavyweights can go up to 265, and a single sparring takedown does not erase that gap.
The fighters
Imavov, 30, is ranked third at middleweight and holds a 17-4 record. He is unbeaten in six, a run that includes a second-round KO/TKO of Israel Adesanya in February 2025. His most recent recorded fight was a five-round unanimous decision over Caio Borralho in September 2025. He lands 4.28 significant strikes per minute at 54 percent accuracy, and averages 0.74 takedowns per 15 minutes along with one submission attempt.
Gane, 36, is the heavyweight champion at 14-2. His most recent recorded fight was a second-round KO/TKO win over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026. He lands 5.29 significant strikes per minute at 61 percent accuracy, while his takedown average sits at 0.68 per 15 minutes. He is next scheduled to meet Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14, 2026.
Why it matters
- The numbers show how close the two are in takedown output: Imavov averages 0.74 per 15 minutes to Gane's 0.68, so a successful shot from the smaller man is less of a statistical outlier than the weight gap suggests.
- Imavov stands six-foot-three to Gane's six-foot-four, so the height difference is just two centimeters. The gap is in mass and reach, with Gane holding a 15-centimeter reach advantage (206 cm to 191 cm).
- Gane's UFC 334 date is under two weeks away, and sparring against a fast, technical middleweight is a very different look from a heavyweight camp partner.
Sparring is not competition, and roles, intensity and rules in the gym vary from session to session. Still, the clip is a reminder that timing and leverage can briefly neutralize a large size advantage.
