In the main event of UFC Paris, a crucial heavyweight bout headline the card as Ciryl Gane took on Tai Tuivasa.
Gane entered the fight coming off a decision loss to Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight title. Prior to that, he was undefeated including being 7-0 in the UFC with notable wins over Derrick Lewis – to win the interim title – Alexander Volkov, and Jairzinho Rozensturik among others. Tuivasa, meanwhile, was riding a five-fight winning streak and coming off a KO win over Lewis.
In the end, it was a back-and-forth fight that was full of action but Gane ended up winning by third-round KO. Now, after UFC Paris, here is what I think should be next for both Gane and Tuivasa.
Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane showed an insane heart as it looked like he was going to be knocked out in the second as Tuivasa dropped him and nearly finished him. However, he proved he has a solid chin and can recover quickly and ended up hurting Tuivasa following him getting dropped and that ultimately led to the third-round KO as he had hurt Tuivasa to the body multiple times.
Following the win, Gane called for a title shot or a bout against Jon Jones, however, I don’t think either comes to fruition. Instead, I expect Gane to headline a Fight Night card in early 2023 against Curtis Blaydes where the winner gets a heavyweight title shot.
Tai Tuivasa
Even though Tai Tuivasa suffered a KO loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Paris, he still proved he is a top-five heavyweight and can hang with the very best. The Aussie nearly got the knockout and even though he lost his stock went up.
Tuivasa will likely return next year and when he does he should face the winner of Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Chris Daukaus on October 1. On paper, it would be a very fun fight as both Rozenstruik and Daukuas are strikers and the winner would be back in title contention.
What do you think should be next for Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa after UFC Paris?
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