Rudy Gobert Tried To Fight Ex-UFC Champ Cyril Gane And It Went About As Poorly As You’d Expect

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Minnesota Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert has taken up MMA crosstraining to stay fit in the offseason, but he recently picked a fight with the wrong guy.

Footage of Gobert sparring with former UFC interim heavyweight champion Cyril Gane hit the internet on Monday and it doesn’t reflect well on the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Gobert and Gane did some light sparring at the MMA Factory in Paris, and while Gobert did a good job keeping his guard up and attempting to use his range, there were some pretty big holes in his game.

For one, Gobert doesn’t move his head off the center line at all. At that point, he becomes a static target and a pretty large one at that. But he’s also very clearly new to striking. Gane, one of the world’s best strikers regardless of weight class, times Gobert’s feints at one point and lands a very clear counter left hand that clearly stunned the T-Wolves center.

Now look, should Rudy Gobert look like an amateur when striking with Cyril Gane? Of course! But he also probably shouldn’t be striking with Cyril Gane, even if it’s just light sparring.

But hey, maybe he’s preparing for a fight. Gobert recently called out Shaquille O’Neal after the Big Diesel called him “worst NBA player of all-time.”

“It is sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did @SHAQ both in sport and business still be triggered by another man’s finances and accomplishments,” Gobert said of the criticism. “I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don’t need that stuff to stay relevant.”

Shaq, however, claimed that he wasn’t saying it to remain relevant, he truly believes it.

Sounds like the two have some differences to settle, and Gobert looks like he’ll be ready if and when that time comes.