Ciryl Gane wanted to put on a show in front of his countrymen on Saturday as he took on No. 3-ranked heavyweight Tai Tuivasa at a raucous Accor Arena in Paris, France in the main event of UFC's first fight card in the European country.
Gane and Tuivasa put on a show for three rounds, blasting each other with punches and kicks with evil intentions. But the Frenchman's shots resonated a bit more as he stopped the Australian at the 4:23 mark of the stanza.
After a first round where Gane came right out and made a conscious effort to attack the body and was doing much of the same in the second until Tuivasa cracked an overhand right to send Gane down to the mat. Tuivasa looked to be moments away from pulling off the upset. But instead, Tuivasa hesitated for a brief moment, which was enough time for Gane to gather his thoughts and get back to his feet.
From there, Gane and Tuivasa put on an old-fashioned donnybrook. Gane continued the assault on the body, and Tuivasa kept clubbing away at the head of the former interim heavyweight champion. Even though both appeared on the verge, they showed their warrior spirit and remained on their feet. Then, finally, someone cracked and could no longer absorb the punishment.
Continuing to emphasize the solar plexes, Gane threw a vicious knee, nearly making Tuivasa crumble to the mat. That was the opening Gane needed. A right hand made Tuivasa turn his back towards Gane.
Gane unleashed a flurry of hooks, which sent Tuivasa to the canvas. Gane tried to follow up, but the referee had seen enough, and the crowd reached a fever pitch in seeing their fighter get the victory.
Getting back on track puts Gane back into things in the heavyweight division. It is unknown when champion Francis Ngannou will return, and the UFC hasn't made their plans clear if they will make an interim title fight, but it's hard to deny the No. 1-ranked contender deserves consideration despite losing to Ngannou when they battled at UFC 270.