Undefeated heavyweight phenom Ciryl Gane will battle fellow 265-pound goliath Derrick Lewis in the upcoming UFC 265 pay-per-view (PPV) main event on Sat., Aug. 7, 2021 inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The winner takes home the interim heavyweight strap and with any luck, a chance to unify the titles against reigning division kingpin Francis Ngannou. Just don’t expect “Bon Gamin” to go punch-for-punch with “The Black Beast.”
“This guy is really dangerous with his fists,” Gane told MMA Junkie. “So the plan is make pressure, touch him – but he’s not going to touch me. … I think it’s going to be my game plan like every fight: Touch the guy and never get touched. I touch him and he never touches me – something like that. And if it’s possible, finish the fight before the end. I’m going to try.”
Gane (9-0) is fresh off his unanimous decision victory over Top 10 heavyweight Alexander Volkov, his sixth straight win under the UFC banner since joining the promotion back in summer 2019. As for Lewis (25-7, 1 NC), he’s captured four straight, including last February’s destruction of Curtis Blaydes.
It’s hard to predict what will happen between Ngannou and UFC based on their existing relationship. We also have to factor in some of the other top names in the division, like former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 265 click here.