UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture praised the “very impressive” Ciryl Gane following his third-round TKO win over Derrick Lewis at UFC 265.

Couture is the former UFC heavyweight champion himself so he knows a thing or two about what it takes to be the best heavyweight in the world. Following Gane’s performance against Lewis at UFC 265, Couture spoke to MMA reporter James Lynch and heaped praise upon “Bon Gamin.” According to “The Natural,” what impressed him the most about Gane’s performance is that he stood toe-to-toe with Lewis and beat him at his own game. It’s why Couture is now so excited to see Gane fight UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

“I did not think he would approach Derrick Lewis that way because of the power that Derrick possesses. He has the ability, even when he looks like he’s absolutely gassed, to pull that punch out,” Couture said. “Man, Gane was very impressive with his striking, he showed great power. Now I’m excited to see him fight Francis. That would be a fun fight, an explosive fight for sure. So we’ll see how this all shakes out. Obviously, they used the interim title as a ploy to create interest, to try and create some heat and some interest on the fight that isn’t the fight that everybody is looking for, is what it looks like to me.”

Gane is a perfect 10-0 in MMA and 7-0 in the Octagon alone, so clearly he knows what he’s doing inside the Octagon. While pioneers such as Couture were the pinnacle of the UFC heavyweight division at one point in time, we now have super athletes like Gane who are at the top of the weight class, once again showing the evolution of mixed martial arts.

Are you as impressed with Ciryl Gane as Randy Couture is?