Tag: Ciryl Gane

Watch: Ciryl Gane Shows Multi-Sport Talent In Charity Football Match

We’ve had Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, and Patrick Vieira, but France may have found its new star footballer in the form of UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an over-exaggeration, but he’s not half-bad. The match in question went down last week inside the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, France. The game,…

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We’ve had Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, and Patrick Vieira, but France may have found its new star footballer in the form of UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an over-exaggeration, but he’s not half-bad.

The match in question went down last week inside the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, France. The game, which was organized by UNICEF, was held in order to raise funds for the Ukrainian children affected by their country’s war with Russia. Thanks to the efforts of Gane and other notable names, €480,000 ($505,250) was raised.

As well as aiding a good cause, Gane, the current #1-ranked UFC heavyweight contender, was able to show his talents with the ball at his feet. Given his speed and agility in the cage, it’s perhaps no surprise that he was running rings around the opposition in midfield.

Check out one of Gane’s successful dribbles in the video below:

Representing Team UNICEF, Gane and his teammates faced off against the Lyon Legends in front of a 23,000-strong crowd. The former interim UFC champion ended up on the losing side after the game ended with a 1-0 scoreline.

As well as his dribbling skills, “Bon Gamin” also displayed the kind of elusiveness that caused Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou trouble on the feet inside the Octagon…

Gane is expected to return to his favored sporting environment later this year when he looks to rebound from his unification title fight defeat to Ngannou. “Bon Gamin” is reportedly being lined up to headline the UFC’s French debut, slated for Paris on September 3.

If plans come to fruition, Gane will be looking to neutralize another heavyweight powerhouse when he next steps inside the Octagon, this time in the form of rising contender Tai Tuivasa.

He’ll be needing his famed footwork to evade the Australian’s brutal punches, so perhaps some time with the ball at his feet will play to his advantage come fight night…

What do you make of Ciryl Gane’s footballing abilities?

Continue Reading Watch: Ciryl Gane Shows Multi-Sport Talent In Charity Football Match at MMA News.

UFC Officially Confirms First Visit To Paris On September 3

The UFC’s long-awaited French debut has been confirmed, with the promotion set to get a taste of the Parisian streets on September 3. Having taken the Octagon across Europe, which has seen events go down in England, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Germany, and Czech Republic, among others, the MMA leader is set to host a card…

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The UFC’s long-awaited French debut has been confirmed, with the promotion set to get a taste of the Parisian streets on September 3.

Having taken the Octagon across Europe, which has seen events go down in England, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Germany, and Czech Republic, among others, the MMA leader is set to host a card on French soil for the very first time later this year, with Paris’ Accor Arena the destined setting.

The event was officially announced by Bruce Buffer in a video uploaded to the UFC France Twitter account. While we don’t speak French, we can imagine what the renowned announced said…

C’est l’heure!

While the names set to feature on the card are yet to be confirmed, there are some notable bouts expected to go down, one of which will likely see a hometown hero look to to thrill in front of his fellow Paris residents.

Having fallen short of undisputed championship status at UFC 270 earlier this year, Ciryl Gane will be looking to rebound in style when he returns to action. Per reports, “Bon Gamin” is expected to headline UFC Paris alongside rising heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa, who’s no doubt relishing the opportunity to bring his famed shoeyvasas to France.

After seeing Bellator heavyweights Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo headline a Paris card earlier this month in a pretty lackluster fashion, the UFC will hope to top it with their own big men later this year.

While the heavyweights look set to take center stage, the appetizer won’t be too far behind in terms of intrigue and stakes should the previously-scheduled clash between middleweight elites Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori be re-arranged for the event, as it’s expected to be.

Beyond the two fights targeted for the top of the slate, only one other matchup has come close to being confirmed, and that will see women’s flyweight Manon Fiorot, who hails from Nice, France, look to jump into title contention against #1-ranked Katlyn Chookagian.

Per BoxeMag.com, bout agreements were quickly sent out following the former title challenger’s recent victory over Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 54.

With the French presence in the UFC also including Nassourdine Imavov and Alan Baudot, as well as French-Canadians like Charles Jourdain and Marc-Andre Barriault, the Paris crowd will likely have no shortage of compatriots to cheer on from the Accor Arena stands on September 3.

Who would you like to see enter the Octagon at UFC Paris on September 3?

Continue Reading UFC Officially Confirms First Visit To Paris On September 3 at MMA News.

Report | Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa Targeted For UFC France Event On September 3.

Ciryl GaneA heavyweight division main event between former interim division titleholder, Ciryl Gane, and the #3 ranked knockout ace, Tai Tuivasa is currently in the works to serve as a headliner for the UFC’s premiere outing in France since the legalization of professional mixed martial arts at an event on September 3. Whilst not officially confirmed […]

Ciryl Gane

A heavyweight division main event between former interim division titleholder, Ciryl Gane, and the #3 ranked knockout ace, Tai Tuivasa is currently in the works to serve as a headliner for the UFC’s premiere outing in France since the legalization of professional mixed martial arts at an event on September 3. Whilst not officially confirmed by the organization, an event in Paris is currently earmarked per multiple reports.

Ciryl Gane, a native of La Roche-sur-Yon, has been out of action since headlining the organization’s first pay-per-view event of this year, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Francis Ngannou in a heavyweight championship title unification bout in the main event of UFC 270 in January.

For New South Wales native, Tuivasa, the fan-favorite striker scored his fifth consecutive knockout win back in February in a high-profile main card slot at UFC 271 against common opponent, Derrick Lewis – stopping the New Orleans knockout king with a stunning second round step-in elbow finish. 

News of the promotion’s September debut in France was initially reported by Italian reporter, Alfredo Zullino, while Ariel Helwani confirmed the targeted headliner between Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa. 

10-1 as a professional, French kickboxing talent, Gane suffered his first professional loss in the above mentioned unanimous judging defeat to brief former training partner, Ngannou at the turn of this year.

Ciryl Gane will make his first outing in France since the legalization of professional MMA

Prior to the loss, Gane had embarked on a promotional-perfect run of seven straight victories, stopping the aforenoted common foe, Lewis in the main event of UFC 265 last August with third round strikes to clinch the interim heavyweight title.

Expected to headline for the fifth time under the organization’s banner, Gane has also defeated the likes of Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov, former champion, Junior dos Santos, and Tanner Boser.

14-3 as a professional, Sydney finisher, Tuivasa holds a whopping 13 separate knockout career victories – adding Lewis to a run of finishes against Augusto Sakai, Greg Hardy, Harry Hunsucker, and Stefan Struve. 

Report: Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa Targeted For UFC’s French Debut Sep. 3

The heavyweight division continues to heat up amidst its title stagnation. The UFC’s heavyweight division continues to be slow-moving in terms of the world-title picture, but that doesn’t mean its action has come to a halt. In fact, all signs point to a lively September, with Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic potentially facing one another…

Continue Reading Report: Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa Targeted For UFC’s French Debut Sep. 3 at MMA News.

The heavyweight division continues to heat up amidst its title stagnation.

The UFC’s heavyweight division continues to be slow-moving in terms of the world-title picture, but that doesn’t mean its action has come to a halt.

In fact, all signs point to a lively September, with Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic potentially facing one another and now, according to MMA reporters Ariel Helwani and Al Zullino, Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa will go at it in the same month.

The UFC’s arrival in France has been long anticipated, and the promotion will reportedly make its debut in the country this year with a prime example of the phrase “contrast of styles.”

Technical striker Ciryl Gane currently is ranked #1 in the UFC’s heavyweight division. He most recently experienced his first loss at the hands of undisputed champion Francis Ngannou at UFC 270.

#3-ranked brawler Tai Tuivasa has suddenly found himself in the center of the heavyweight title conversation on the heels of five consecutive wins. Most recently, he defeated fellow brawler Derrick Lewis at UFC 271 via KO.

Reigning champion Francis Ngannou is currently sidelined following knee surgery. The good news for all of the above title contenders is that he expects to return by the end of this year, with December being the most likely month.

The bad news? He expects that return to come against heavyweight boxing superstar Tyson Fury in a crossover bout and not against any UFC athlete.

MMA News will keep you abreast of all the latest updates on the reported September 3 UFC France debut as well as the promotion’s heavyweight title picture.

Who do you like in this bout between Ciryl Gane and Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa?

Continue Reading Report: Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa Targeted For UFC’s French Debut Sep. 3 at MMA News.

Ciryl Gane: Tai Tuivasa Can Do Something Big In The HW Division

Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane likes what he sees from Tai Tuivasa following his win over Derrick Lewis at UFC 271. Gane and Tuivasa could be on a collision course sooner rather than later in the UFC heavyweight division. Tuivasa moved up to No. 3 in the latest UFC rankings while Gane remains…

Continue Reading Ciryl Gane: Tai Tuivasa Can Do Something Big In The HW Division at MMA News.

Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane likes what he sees from Tai Tuivasa following his win over Derrick Lewis at UFC 271.

Gane and Tuivasa could be on a collision course sooner rather than later in the UFC heavyweight division. Tuivasa moved up to No. 3 in the latest UFC rankings while Gane remains at No. 1 despite his UFC 270 loss to Francis Ngannou.

Tuivasa is arguably the hottest heavyweight contender in the division at the moment, having won five straight via knockout. He has also become a UFC fan favorite with his post-fight ‘shoey’ celebrations.

During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Gane tabbed Tuivasa as a legitimate factor in the heavyweight division.

“Congratulations to this guy,” Gane said of Tuivasa. “It was a really interesting fight. Unfortunately, I was sleeping at this moment, like every time. But I saw the fight after and it was a really tough fight. So congratulations to Derrick Lewis also, it was a beautiful fight. And Tuivasa is an amazing fighter. He can do something big in this division. He has something.”

Gane is hopeful for an eventual rematch with Ngannou in the UFC. A win over a top contender such as Tuivasa could put him on the fast track to another title shot.

Tuivasa is now a Top-3 UFC heavyweight and will surely get a big name for his next octagon appearance. His win over Lewis put him on the map and demonstrated that he can compete with the best heavyweights in MMA.

How far do you think Tai Tuivasa can go in the UFC’s heavyweight division?

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Francis Ngannou Thinks The UFC Protected Ciryl Gane In His Career

Francis Ngannou thinks Ciryl Gane had a cherry-picked path to a title shot. Francis Ngannou is the UFC heavyweight champion. He defended his title successfully against one of the toughest opponents available in Ciryl Gane and has once again proven that he is the best. Ngannou had to prove his skills through a tough road…

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Francis Ngannou thinks Ciryl Gane had a cherry-picked path to a title shot.

Francis Ngannou is the UFC heavyweight champion. He defended his title successfully against one of the toughest opponents available in Ciryl Gane and has once again proven that he is the best. Ngannou had to prove his skills through a tough road to becoming UFC champ. He lost some, won some more, and worked his way to becoming the “baddest man on the planet.”

Now that Ngannou and Gane have fought and Ngannou came out on top, he is being a little critical of Gane’s path to the title fight.

“You don’t usually get into the UFC and get to fight for the title without fighting a wrestler. That’s the rule. In this case, he seems like he was protected. They were protecting him, and they were just hyping his striking style. This isn’t a striking game. This is a fighting game,” Ngannou said on his YouTube Channel (via MMAWeekly).

Gane has just ten fights on his professional MMA résumé. His only loss so far was the fight with Ngannou. In his UFC career, Gane has faced seven opponents before facing Ngannou, those seven have a combined 171 professional fights, and only a combined 10 submission victories.

As for Gane himself, he holds three submission victories in his career. Ngannou was making the point that the UFC was trying to shed a spotlight on Gane’s striking power, instead of testing him on the ground. However, Gane has proven that he can submit when needed. In fact, his first two wins in the UFC were by submission.

In their fight, Ngannou was able to take Gane to the ground twice and control the action for a bit. Ngannou is best known as a striker himself but was able to use the ground game in his bout with Gane.

Ngannou showcased a well-rounded game plan in the win. He will be out of competition for an undisclosed amount of time, however, now that he will need to heal up from a lingering knee injury. As for Gane, he could be back in action later this year.

Do you think the UFC tried to steer Gane away from facing wrestlers?

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Thinks The UFC Protected Ciryl Gane In His Career at MMA News.