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One of the most unfortunate parts of gaining celebrity status is the target it paints on a person’s back for con men, grifters, and plain old-fashioned thieves. Whether it’s athletes, musicians, or actors, celebrities tend to have money and the kinds of luxury goods than money can buy.
That’s an unfortunate reality that recent UFC headliner Ciryl Gane appears to have experienced, with reports that while the heavyweight top contender was busy busting up Sergey Spivac in the Octagon this past Saturday criminals were breaking in to his Paris apartment.
UFC headliner Ciryl Gane victim of fight night robbery
The second ever event in France for the world’s largest MMA promotion provided a perfect platform for ‘Bon Gamin’ to return to his winning ways. Following a shockingly one-sided defeat at the hands of Jon Jones back in March, MMA Factory star Ciryl Gane returned to action for the first time on September 2nd, dishing out one-and-a-half rounds of punishment to keep his name firmly among the ranks of future title challengers.
At the same time, Le Parisien reports that Gane’s apartment in the Nogent-sur-Marne neighborhood of Paris was getting ransacked by thieves who clearly must have had the UFC fighter’s schedule scoped out in advance. According to police reports, the criminals made off with more than €150,000 in property, made up mostly by the theft of a Rolex watch and “various jewels.” Access to the apartment was gained by forcing the front door.
At this time, no arrests have been made. However a source close to the investigation reports that “it is possible that the thugs have carried out scouting or that someone from the sportsman’s entourage has informed them about his schedule.” The report also states that police found possible evidence connected to the burglars at the scene of the crime.
We may not know exactly what Gane made from his UFC fight purse—his last publicly disclosed payday was $500k for his title challenge against Francis Ngannou at UFC 270—but we do know that the 33-year-old Frenchman walked away from the night with an extra $50k in his pocket. Not enough by itself to replace his stolen goods, but hopefully those were insured.
What’s next for Ciryl Gane?
After Ciryl Gane’s victory, the heavyweight was asked about the possibility of fighting Tom Aspinall, who had called for the winner of this bout, and was seated Octagon side for the occasion. Gane wasn’t exactly evasive in his answer, but made it clear that he’s more focused on getting a title shot than matching up against other contenders.
“No matter where, no matter who, I just want to go back to the belt,” Gane stated flatly during his post-fight press conference.
At the moment, the title is set to be on the line for UFC 295 on November 11th at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. There Jon Jones will defend his belt against former multiple time champion Stipe Miocic. What will be next for the belt once that fight is in the books very much remains to be seen.
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