Gane is not a counter striker, he pushes the pace and is never on his back-foot unless he is exiting. The pace he fights at is what has allowed him to win every single round of his professional career. Ngannou does not have the stamina to fight at a pace set by Gane for more than a round which is why some believe Gane will win the fight. No one has any illusion that he is the more powerful striker.
A major part of Ganes game is the inside game. Every single fight of his UFC career he has forced his opponents back to the octagon wall towards the end of the first and second round, clinched, and proceeded to drape his weight over the arms of his opponent to facilitate the buildup of lactic acid. Gane does not fight at mid-range, boxing range, until he no longer perceives a threat from his opponent. Mid range is where Ngannou wants the fight at because it is where he is able to land the counter-shot KOs which he has built his reputation as a knockout artist off of.
Ngannous path to victory is intelligently forcing exchanges at mid-range because that is where he can hit Gane and land counters. Allowing Gane to spam leg kicks from long-range and then clinch him when he enters inside-range is how all of his opponents fall out of fights with him.