Not only did the French fighter produce a masterclass — just as he promised to do — but he also defeated the UFC's all-time heavyweight leader in knockouts with a third-round TKO.

Considering how "Bon Gamin" reduced Lewis to rubble in that sort of one-way traffic, would UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou fare any different?

Ngannou established himself as a knockout artist in his own right during his ascension to becoming the world champ. "The Predator" tallied four straight first-round finishes that took him a collective two minutes and 42 seconds before crumpling Stipe Miocic with a second-round KO to snatch the crown in March.

But has he ever stepped into the Octagon with someone as technically masterful as Gane? Well, yes and no.

Yes because the two were ex-training partners, and that familiarity can foreseeably work in Ngannou's favor or be a detriment to the Cameroonian fighter.

But also no because as great as two-time heavyweight champion Miocic is, he doesn't have much on Gane's movement in the Octagon.

At 6-foot-4 and 247 pounds, Gane's agility, bounce, and lateral movement is top tier. It's where his offense starts. In June, he established that fluid movement to stifle Alexander Volkov before surgically picking apart the larger fighter en route to an impressive unanimous decision.

He once again established that movement early to throw Lewis off balance to the point where "The Black Beast" wasn't even striking over many stretches of the first two rounds. That movement paved the way for leg kicks at a safe distance — away from the wheelhouse of Lewis' explosive one-punch power with that right hand. It also opened up a jab that Gane was repeatedly able to sneak through Lewis' guard.

But when Lewis tried to press forward with urgency, if not outright desperation, in the third round, Gane swiftly turned the tables on him and defeated the Houston fighter at his own game in front of his hometown fans. And that game is power.

Gane methodically softened Lewis with leg kicks before catching him off guard with a devastating sweeping right uppercut that landed and caused significant damage. Then, sensing he had Lewis hurt, Gane teed off with massive right and left hands. Moments later, Gane dropped Lewis with a short right hand and clinched the interim heavyweight strap with right hammerfists.

The punctuating fashion that Gane (10-0) accomplished the feat should be a cause of concern for Ngannou, who was checked into Saturday night's fight and delivered a message to his former sparring partner over what appears to be an imminent showdown.

For whatever it's worth, Gane tactically broke down Lewis in a way that Ngannou failed to back at UFC 226 in July 2018. That's when Lewis defeated Ngannou by unanimous decision in a lackluster bout in which the former claims he wasn't even remotely his best.

“I remember I took a bunch of muscle relaxers, and I couldn’t really get it going,” Lewis told DAZN News about the  co-main event with Ngannou that took place on the original Daniel Cormier-Stipe Miocic fight card. “Other than that, I just know it was a boring fight.”

Now, Ngannou did go off on a five-fight winning streak to become the heavyweight champion after that disappointing loss and could very well have the intel on how to press and hurt Gane in a way that Lewis just couldn't figure out.

Or the sample size that the 31-year-old Gane has offered thus far is a caveat of the greatness that's to come from "Bon Gamin" — even if that means it comes at a familiar face's expense in Ngannou.