Featured Fighter is back again this week as undefeated heavyweight Ciryl Gané makes his UFC debut against Brazil’s Raphael Pessoa. Read why he is our Featured Fighter for UFC Uruguay below.
The UFC returns this weekend as the promotion makes their first trip to Montevideo, Uruguay. Despite having a title fight topping the bill, we believe French heavyweight Ciryl Gané will impress in his promotional debut at UFC Uruguay. Gané faces 9-0 Brazilian heavyweight Raphael Pessoa, who is also making his Octagon debut.
Most recently on Featured Fighter, Irene Aldana suffered a back-and-forth decision defeat at the hands of Raquel Pennington.
Who is Ciryl Gané?
Ciryl Gané is a 28-year-old mixed martial artist who trains out of MMA in Paris, France. Gané is a protégé of top heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou. Gané is 3-0 out of MMA Factory with all three of his wins via stoppage in Canadian promotion TKO MMA. The Frenchman is also undefeated in professional Muay Thai, compiling a record of 13-0. So far in his MMA career, Gané has won the TKO MMA heavyweight title and defended it twice.
Ciryl Gané Style:
Gané’s style is purely based on the feet. The 28-year-old mixes his strikes incredibly well and hits extremely hard. The TKO MMA champion hasn’t been tested on the ground yet, but he does have his own offense especially with the 10-finger guillotine choke submission.
Striking:
The primary area of Gané’s game and where the majority of footage of Gané’s career has been is his striking. As previously mentioned having an undefeated career in Muay Thai, Gané brings his striking expertise into the Octagon. He is huge at 6’5” and with a whopping 83” inch reach to go with it. His devastating power is terrifying for his foes and he is accurate with his strikes. Gané is light on his feet, continually switches stances and uses a variety of angles on his punches. He loves the overhand, but can tend to throw it a little too much if he gets carried away. His leg kicks are also deadly. One of his best weapons is his stiff, powerful jab. Gané consistently uses it to set up his combinations or to find his range.
There are a few weaknesses in Gane’s game, however. Due to his confidence whilst on the feet, Gané holds his hands a little low which could cost him as he faces better competition in the UFC. He can also get a little wild after hurting his opponent which can come back to bite him – especially at heavyweight.
Grappling:
Although an out-and-out striker, Gané has shown some grappling in his fights, mostly offensive. The 28-year-old utilizes devastating knee strikes within the Muay Thai clinch stemming from his background. On the ground, Gané has shown the previously mentioned 10-finger guillotine choke. However, that move can backfire on Gané as he often goes for it after his foes have been rocked.
Prediction – Ciryl Gané vs. Raphael Pessoa:
In a matchup between previously undefeated power punchers, I expect Gané to earn another stoppage win here. Gané is on a different level on the feet, and has a lot more tools there. I don’t expect this fight to go to the ground for long (maybe not at all) unless one man falls – so it will be mostly in Gané’s world. Pessoa does hit hard to his credit, but Gané should be able to avoid any hard shots and land his own in return. Either Gané stops Pessoa due to strikes, or Gané rocks Pessoa and submits him with the guillotine. Either way, I don’t see it going to the distance. The odds have Gané a big favorite and I agree with them here.
Official Prediction: Ciryl Gané def. Raphael Pessoa via Knockout.
