5 potential opponents for Ciryl Gane after his win over Tai Tuivasa
Last night saw one of the UFC’s most exciting fights of 2022 thus far, as Ciryl Gane turned the lights out on Tai Tuivasa in an incredible brawl.
Ciryl Gane’s win over Tai Tuivasa means that he now boasts a UFC record of 8-1, with his only defeat coming at the hands of heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou – so who should he face next?
Take a bow king #UFCParis https://t.co/l4zWTqWEHL
Thankfully, there is no shortage of options for ‘Bon Gamin’ in terms of future opponents – although he may want to take some time off following his war with Tuivasa last night.
Here are five potential opponents for Ciryl Gane following his latest win.
#5. Ciryl Gane vs. Francis Ngannou 2
Given the level of entertainment he produced in his war with Tai Tuivasa, as well as the fact that Tuivasa was ranked at No.3 in the division, the UFC may well decide to simply book Ciryl Gane into another heavyweight title bout with champion Francis Ngannou next.
The two former training partners met earlier this year at UFC 270 in a relatively close bout that saw Ngannou surprise observers by using his wrestling game to overcome the Frenchman, but it was probably the hardest that anyone had pushed ‘The Predator’ in a long time.
𝐔 𝐍 𝐃 𝐈 𝐒 𝐏 𝐔 𝐓 𝐄 𝐃 🏆 𝐔 𝐍 𝐃 𝐈 𝐒 𝐏 𝐔 𝐓 𝐄 𝐃 🏆 #ANDSTILL
[ @Francis_Ngannou | #UFC270 | B2YB @CLMBR_Official ] https://t.co/JXnWqtUkMb
Whether one win – even over a highly ranked contender like ‘Bam Bam’ – should mean that Gane moves right back into a title shot is a little debatable, but it’s also fair to say that nobody else has really earned the shot right now.
Could ‘Bon Gamin’ make the correct adjustments to beat Ngannou in a rematch? It’s definitely possible, although obviously the Tuivasa bout didn’t see his ground game tested at all.
Overall, the fact that ‘The Predator’ hasn’t fought since their first bout might hold the UFC back from booking a rematch, but such things have happened before, and so if the pieces fall into place, we could see these two run it back in early 2023.
#4. Ciryl Gane vs. Sergei Pavlovich
If the UFC goes with someone else as Francis Ngannou’s next title challenger, then Ciryl Gane could be left to fight another rising, highly-ranked prospect in the division instead. Tai Tuivasa earned his shot at ‘Bon Gamin’ by beating Derrick Lewis, so could the same thing happen to Sergei Pavlovich?
The Russian is currently ranked at #5 in the division, and his win over ‘The Black Beast’ in July took him to 4-1 in the octagon with an overall record of 16-1. More to the point, he’s dispatched 13 opponents, including four in the UFC, via KO or TKO.
THE BIGGEST WIN OF SERGEI PAVLOVICH'S CAREER 🤯 #UFC277 https://t.co/rEwrTzfPTl
Prior to his fight with Tai Tuivasa, Gane probably would’ve been a massive favorite in this clash purely because of his range and striking skill, but ‘Bam Bam’ did appear to draw the Frenchman into a brawl and expose a chink in his armour as such – and given his punching power, Pavlovich could do the same.
The Russian has remarkably fast hands, huge power and a tremendous killer instinct, meaning he cannot be counted out at all in a fight with Gane.
This wouldn’t be the biggest “name” fight for ‘Bon Gamin’, but if the UFC wants to return to France in early 2023, they could do much worse than to book this as the headliner.
#3. Ciryl Gane vs. Curtis Blaydes
Despite an absolutely tremendous record of 12-3, Curtis Blaydes has still not been able to secure a shot at the UFC heavyweight title – so could he do it with a fight against former interim champ Ciryl Gane?
In a lot of ways, the fight would definitely make sense. Gane is currently ranked at #1 in the division with Blaydes at #4, and given that ‘Bon Gamin’ just beat #3-ranked Tai Tuivasa, if everyone else is tied up then it’d be logical for them to face off.
More importantly, though, a clash with Blaydes would allow Gane to show whether or not he’s fixed the holes in his takedown defense that cost him in his fight with Francis Ngannou.
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‘Razor’ is the best wrestler in the heavyweight division and holds the record for the most successful takedowns in the division. Unless Gane has improved in that area, there’s no doubt that Blaydes would take him down and keep him there.
If ‘Bon Gamin’ could prevent that, though, it’d be hard to imagine him not testing Ngannou even more than he did in their first bout – and perhaps even defeating him. A bout with Blaydes would definitely not be easy for Gane, but the rewards might make it worth it.
#2. Ciryl Gane vs. Stipe Miocic
While he hasn’t fought since losing the UFC heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou in early 2021, a win over Stipe Miocic, who remains ranked at #2, would still hold huge weight for any fighter in the heavyweight division right now, including Ciryl Gane.
After all, Miocic is statistically the most successful heavyweight fighter in UFC history, boasting a record four successful title defenses, two runs as champion, and wins over the likes of Ngannou, Daniel Cormier, Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.
STIPE KNOCKS OUT DC IN ROUND 4!!!
#AndNew! What a fight! #UFC241 https://t.co/ocJIfpRvyj
In a way, given his lengthy layoff and age – he’s now 40 years old – it could be argued that a win over Miocic would perhaps be easier to claim than one over a younger, rising contender like Curtis Blaydes, but in terms of name value, the former champ would represent the biggest win of Gane’s career.
There’s a chance that the UFC might go in a different direction, matching Miocic with Jon Jones, and that would probably lead Gane to a title bout with Ngannou. If they were to give Jones an immediate title shot, though, then putting ‘Bon Gamin’ in with the former champ would definitely make sense.
#1. Ciryl Gane vs. Jon Jones
Given Francis Ngannou’s current pay issues with the UFC, there is an outside chance that ‘The Predator’ relinquishes his title and departs the promotion altogether. If he does that, then Dana White and company could do much worse than to book a bout for the vacant title between Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones.
Sure, Jones hasn’t done anything at heavyweight to warrant claiming a title shot – he still hasn’t fought in the division despite all the noise he’s made, and in fact, he hasn’t fought at all since February 2020.
Jon Jones believes the heavyweight title is in his future 🔮
(via @JonnyBones) https://t.co/GGPMKmUSBc
However, his accomplishments at 205lbs speak for themselves, and his status as one of the UFC’s biggest-ever stars and drawing cards mean that he’s likely to be allowed to jump the queue, anyway.
More to the point, this clash would be absolutely fascinating and fantastic to watch, too. There would be big question marks over how well Jones would deal with the power and precision of Gane’s striking, but in turn, there’d be questions over whether ‘Bon Gamin’ could handle the wrestling of Jones.
Overall, this would be the kind of fight that could headline a major pay-per-view, and in a lot of ways, it’d make more sense than matching Jones with Stipe Miocic. In terms of pure intrigue, this is the best fight out there for Gane.