Francis Ngannou should walk out to “This Is War” by GAWNE ft. Tech N9Ne x Atlus

Upcoming hip-hop artist Gawne has been steadily putting out music over the past few years as an independent artist, best known for his song, “Death To Mumble Rappers” but his latest single with Tech N9ne and Atlas, “This Is War” should be the walkout song for UFC Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou when he defends his title next month against Ciryl Gane. Here’s why: first of all, the song’s lyrics open with, “This is war/pick your sides/know your stance/this is war/no telling how the story ends/This is a fallout/everybody get down”. If you don’t know the backstory between Francis and Ciryl, here’s a brief breakdown: they were former sparring partners who both trained at the same gym, MMA Masters in France, under the same coach, from where they both got their professional start in MMA. If you know anything about the fighter mentality when it comes to their home gyms, there is a lot of emphasis put on loyalty to your gym and coaches.

After years at MMA Factory, Francis got signed to the UFC and began rising up in the heavy weight division however, after suffering back-to-back losses in 2018, he parted ways with his long-time coach and MMA Factory in Paris and headed to Las Vegas to train with new coaches at a new gym, Extreme Couture. Ngannou—under the tutelage of Xtreme Couture and the in-house coaches at the UFC Performance Institute—went on a tear the likes of which had never been seen. He tore through the division with explosive knock out punches that won him the Heavy Weight Belt at UFC 260 earlier this year in March. He now faces a title defense fight next month in December against his former sparring partner, Ciryl Gane and his former coach who will be training and cornering Ciryl in his upcoming fight against Ciryl.

The stage, like the song has been set for war; a war where two men who once pledged loyalty to the same gym and coaches have drawn the line and chosen different sides. Two powerhouses with two different strengths and two different coaches who will both be vying to lead their fighter to victory. The action will be fast-paced, just like the rhyming skills of Gawne. The cadence will be hard-hitting, like Tech N9ne’s verses and the hook is haunting, just like Atlus sings. This is war, indeed.  Listen for yourself below: