This weekend, Ciryl Gane will look to bounce back following a humiliating loss to current heavyweight world champion Jon Jones at UFC 285 in March.
After dropping two of his last three fights, ‘Bon Gamin’ will head to the Accor Arena in his native Paris, France for a clash with top-ten heavyweight contender Serghei Spivak. Ciryl Gane will be looking to maintain his spot near the top of the heavyweight rankings while the ‘Polar Bear’ is looking to jump into the top five and declare himself as a potential threat to reigning heavyweight king Jon Jones.
Ciryl Gane vs Sergey Spivak! Fiorot vs Namajunas! It's #UFCParis fight week!!
pic.twitter.com/u2ktn9WtHT
— PRESIDENT (@UFCREALNEWS) August 28, 2023
Ahead of their clash this weekend, Spivak spoke with French outlet RMC Sport about his impending showdown with Ciryl Gane. During the conversation, ‘Polar Bear’ directed some of his frustration toward journalists who have put his UFC Paris opponent through the ringer after suffering a lopsided loss to ‘Bones’ earlier this year.
“Journalists talk too much, too much sh*t,” Spivac said. “Who (out of them) can go to fight in the UFC? It’s really hard to go to fight. He (Gane) is first place in the UFC. He has good results in the UFC. These (people) talk sh*t. Ciryl needs to be focused on his life. This is not important for him” (h/t MMA News).
Serghei Spivak Respects Every Man That Steps In the Octagon with Him, Including Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane fell to Jon Jones just past the two-minute mark of the opening round at UFC 285 via a guillotine choke. Many were quick to criticize Gane’s performance, suggesting that the striking standout buckled under the pressure of another big moment.
Gane is 8-2 in the Octagon, his only losses coming against Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones. ‘Bon Gamin’ still has hopes of one day wrapping the undisputed UFC heavyweight title around his waist, but to get back into title contention, he’ll have to go through Ukrainian knockout artist Serghei Spivak.
The ‘Polar Bear’ has won three straight, defeating Greg Hardy, Augusto Sakai, and Derrick Lewis, with all three coming by way of finish. Serghei Spivak will look to make it four in a row, scoring the biggest win of his career in the City of Light on Saturday night.
“I can talk only good about my opponents,” Spivac added. “I respect everyone, and I respect Ciryl, too.”