Tai Tuivasa’s road to a UFC heavyweight title hit a speed bump as French star Ciryl Gane stopped the Australian in the third round in front of his home fans.
Tuivasa showed a lot of heart throughout the fight and refused to go down even when Gane landed brutal blows to his midsection.
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However, Gane’s pressure eventually paid off and he dropped Tuivasa in the third before finishing the job on the ground when referee Marc Goddard waved the match off.
Gane is almost certain to face heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou for the title, while Tuivasa needs to rebuild ahead of a second shot at the belt.
Speaking after the fight, Gane revealed a shot Tuivasa momentarily put to sleep as the end was so close to being different.
“He knocked me out,” Gane said.
“The lights were off.”
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The fight got off to a relatively tame start in front of a passionate crowd on the first UFC card in Paris, with both men respecting the damage they can do while keeping their distance.
Gane landed the best of the shots, with several leg kicks finding Tuivasa throughout.
However, the Australian hit back with his own and looked to charge forward with punch combos but was ultimately unsuccessful.
What the first lap lacked in excitement, the second undoubtedly made up for it.
But Tuivasa dropped Gane with a monster right hand that had several thinking the fight was over.
However, the Frenchman responded with a brutal kick to the body that had Tuivasa worried.
Gane continued to throw kicks and put Tuivasa on the back foot, but the Australian swung massively and reminded Gane of the looming threat he has.
Although Tuivasa was the one to drop Gane, he was open as the Frenchman continued to raise the intensity.
It paid off as Gane got the win.
WHITTAKER ‘GUNNING FOR TOP SPOT’ AFTER PERFECT PERFORMANCE
Australian UFC star Robert Whittaker rarely looked worried, if at all, in his win over Marvin Vettori.
Whittaker beat Vettori by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28) in a truly dominant performance from the Australian as he eyes a trilogy fight against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
The two were set to fight several months earlier, but an injury to Whittaker during his training camp pushed him back to the UFC’s opening card in Paris.
Both men were cautious in the first of three rounds, with Whittaker landing some good shots.
However, Vettori appears to be struggling with his left hand and may have had a bigger impact than he thought.
Whittaker turned up the intensity in the second round with a series of cool combos.
He even made Vettori back up quickly after a vicious kick.
The third round saw Whittaker open Vettori up and continue to land several shots.
Vettori struggled to mount any offense of his own and was even taken down in the final minutes.
When asked what would happen in his post-fight interview, Whittaker reiterated that he had tunnel vision to get the belt back.
“Including the champion, I’m the most dangerous man in the division,” Whittaker said.
“I make people hate wrestling. As for what’s next, I’m always looking for that top spot.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: GANE VS TUIVASA — MAIN CARD RESULTS
Cyril Gane defeated. Tai Tuivasa – via KO – Heavyweight
Robert Whittaker defeated. Marvin Vettori – by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28) – Middleweight
Nassourdine Imavov defeated. Joaquin Buckley – by unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27) – Middleweight
Roman Koplyov defeated. Alessio Di Chirico – via KO – middleweight
William Gomis defeated. Jarno Errens – by majority decision (29-28 x 2, 29-29) – Featherweight
Nathaniel Wood defeated. Charles Jourdain – by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28) – Featherweight