Sunday, August 8th, 2021
Ciryl Gane is an interim champion
UFC has new “most dangerous man on the planet”
In the UFC heavyweight division, one punch is often enough to end the fight. In the fight for the interim heavyweight belt, however, the agility and cleverness of the French Gane, who dominates his opponent Derrick Lewis, pays off.
For the first time a Frenchman is at the top of the UFC: Ciryl Gane wins the interim heavyweight belt after a technical knockout in the third round at UFC 265 in Houston against the American Derrick Lewis. The interim title solution came about because the reigning champion Francis Ngannou could not agree on a fight with Lewis after winning the title in March. To combine the two titles, Ngannou will next face Gane.
The heavyweight division in the UFC goes up to a maximum weight of 120 kilograms. In this weight class, one punch is often enough to end the fight. That’s why the UFC likes to refer to the heavyweight champion as the “Baddest Man on the Planet”.
What makes Gane so dangerous is his agility and Fight IQ in a rather sedate weight class. The 1.96-meter-hen moves like a middleweight fighter, said UFC legend and former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier after the fight. And against Lewis the flexibility and speed of the French, who has only been fighting in MMA for three years, paid off fully.
In the first two rounds, Gane worked his opponent with clean jabs, constantly changing his display and making it almost impossible for Lewis to land his own hits. The decision was then initiated by targeted kicks against the calf of the roughly ten kilogram heavier Lewis, who stumbled in round 3 after a violent hit on the left leg and received more punches from Gane.
The stability in the leg with Lewis was gone and Gane pursued. When the American in a protective position on the ground did not react to the blows of the French, the referee stepped in and declared the fight to be decided. “Happy and proud,” Gane said after the fight. He is now looking forward to meeting Ngannou, whom he already knows very well – both have been training partners for a long time.
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