5 biggest winners from UFC Vegas 30: Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
Despite very little fanfare coming in, UFC Vegas 30 was one of 2021’s most enjoyable UFC events, thanks to several violent finishes up and down the card.
Although it didn’t see a finish in its heavyweight main event, UFC Vegas 30 still produced a number of fighters who can call themselves big winners this morning.
Whether any of those fighters can now climb into UFC title contention is another thing entirely, but they certainly advanced their UFC careers greatly with their victories last night.
Here are the five biggest winners from UFC Vegas 30: Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov:
#1 Ciryl Gane – defeated Alexander Volkov in UFC Vegas 30 main event
The fight didn’t end explosively, but Ciryl Gane picked up another huge win at UFC Vegas 30 in his second UFC main event. This time, he clearly outpointed giant Russian kickboxer Alexander Volkov.
Gane was favored coming into the fight, but few fans could’ve predicted how easily he’d pick Volkov apart for the most part. Sure, he took some hard shots across the five rounds – in particular, some low kicks in the first round and a big uppercut in the fourth – but he always looked in control.
And to see the Frenchman abuse Volkov with his jab was stunning, particularly given the height and reach advantage that 'Drago' enjoyed.
If the UFC were booking from a purely sporting perspective, Gane would probably be in line for the next shot at the UFC heavyweight title. After all, he’s now 6-0 in the UFC and 9-0 in MMA overall, and it’s not like he’s been beating scrubs.
However, the UFC are likely to use the fact that his last two fights were decision wins against him – meaning he’ll be behind Derrick Lewis in the pecking order. And that’s not even mentioning the potential for a Jon Jones run at heavyweight.
Despite that though, Gane was undoubtedly the big winner last night. He comfortably brushed aside his biggest challenge to date. It also wouldn't be a stretch to say that he’s probably the toughest fight out there for current UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou.
On this evidence, there’s still a chance that he could be the next UFC heavyweight champion.
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