For the second year in a row, French heavyweight Ciryl Gane topped a card in his home country of France on Saturday, as he took on Moldovan Serghei Spivac in the main event of UFC Paris.
In a tough stylistic match-up with Spivac, at least on paper, Gane was looking to bounce back from a demoralizing loss to Jon Jones earlier this year. Turns out, it wasn’t so tough after all.
In the first round, Ciryl Gane looked like the fighter we knew before his fights with Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. Gane was using his movement to land the jab and his kicks, which seemed to be frustrating Spivac. Spivac shot for a couple of takedowns in the first round, which were stuffed by Gane, which had to be a huge confidence boost for Ciryl Gane. Spivac’s best moment in the first round was landing a right hand that seemed to get a little reaction from Gane. Ciryl landed some nice knees against the cage that drew reactions from Serghei Spivac. Gane seemed to have won the first round convincingly.
To start the second round, Gane continued his pace, landing some beautiful body shots followed by jabs and kicks. It seemed Spivac had absolutely nothing left for Gane in the second. Gane was landing knees against the cage combined with body shots, then opened up Spivac’s head. With the Moldovan heavyweight forced to cover up after enduring a battering, the ref finally called it off!
Ciryl Gane found his range early in this fight and stuffed some takedowns, which was a good sign considering he has struggled with wrestlers in the past. Gane made his country proud by finding the second-round TKO with a flurry of strikes against the cage.
This was a huge bounce back from one of the best heavyweights on planet Earth, against a very good Serghei Spivac. Gane put on a great striking clinic and showed defensive improvements, specifically with his takedown defense. The French star has many options moving forward, including a fantastic fighter in England’s own Tom Aspinall, who called for the winner back in July.
Official Result: Ciryl Gane def. Serghei Spivac by TKO (strikes), Round 2, 3:44
