Victor Wembanyama gets a big shout-out from French UFC fighter Ciryl Gane

Over the past decade, it has become clear that basketball is one of the biggest sports in the world. The rise of international players is a testament to this because there has not been an American regular-season MVP since James Harden's MVP in 2018. 

Players like Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been dominant as non-American players. However, it seems San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama is ready to carry the torch moving forward as the best player to come out of France, a country that's well-known for producing some elite athletes.

UFC star Ciryl Gane speaks on Victor Wembanyama's impact on basketball

As the current UFC interim heavyweight champion, Ciryl Gane knows what it's like to succeed. He is, in fact, a two-time holder of that title, so he is quite successful in his mixed martial arts career. The orthodox heavyweight striker stands out in the UFC with his natural talent and light feet despite being a 6'4" fighter.

Just like Gane, Wembanyama shares some traits with his fellow Frenchman. Being a giant who can move light on their feet is certainly a good trait to have, but it matters the most in a sport like basketball.

MORE: Victor Wembanyama loves that he is France's national team campaign

As an elite athlete from France himself, Gane knows what it takes to stand out on the world stage. Wembanyama is blessed with elite physical traits, but he would not have gone anywhere had he not worked hard to take advantage of those characteristics, which is something that Gane loves seeing from Wemby.

"We're all unique. We're all almost exceptional through our performances, through the feats we manage to pull off. But there's one who is doing something that has never existed before, and that's Wemby," Gane said about Wembanyama at UFC France.

"I think it's incomparable. He's changing his sport. It's huge. Even more so than Kylian Mbappe, who has an impressive impact - he, straight up, is changing his sport. He is capable of doing things that have never existed before."

Getting this co-sign from Gane is a big deal, but getting compared to someone like Kylian Mbappe is huge. In fact, Gane thinks that Wembanyama is a bigger game-changer than Mbappe, which is one of the best compliments any Frenchman could get.

Wembanyama is only getting started, as he is only entering his fourth NBA season. He is set for even more greatness, so Gane's points are becoming more accurate by the day.

More NBA news:

• Patrick Beverley speaks on why Victor Wembanyama is one of the most unguardable players today
• Victor Wembanyama is excited to come back to San Antonio after his stint with France's national team this summer
• Stephon Castle is getting All-Star buzz ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season
• Dylan Harper is getting flowers from Spurs icon Tony Parker
• Tony Parker loves that Victor Wembanyama is the star for both France and the Spurs