UFC 249 has added a heavyweight scrap between prospect Ciryl Gane and the far more experienced Shamil Abdurakhimov.
A heavyweight showdown featuring highly touted prospect Ciryl Gane taking on Shamil Abdurakhimov is being targeted for UFC 249. France’s La Sueur was first to report the booking on Thursday.
Gane (6-0), a French fighter who got his start in Canada’s TKO organization, has won all three of his fights inside the octagon to date. Most recently, he went the distance with Canadian Tanner Boser at UFC Busan in December. Prior to that, he had racked up wins over Don’Tale Mayes and Raphael Pessoa.
Shamil Abdurakhimov (20-5) had been on quite the run prior to going up against Curtis Blaydes last year. He’d won three straight, including wins over Andrei Arlovski and Marcin Tybura. Overall, the Dagestani is 5-3 inside the octagon.
UFC 249 takes place on April 18, 2020 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. With luck, the main event will see Khabib Nurmagomedov put his lightweight title on the line against Tony Ferguson. Former strawweight champions Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas are also expected to rematch on the card.
Currently anticipated for UFC 249 are the following:
Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Tony Ferguson – for the UFC lightweight championship
Jéssica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
Ben Rothwell vs. Gian Villante
Khama Worthy vs. Ottman Azaitar
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Ciryl Gane
Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
