Dan Hardy breaks down the UFC 265 main event between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis

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Dan Hardy (left), UFC 265 poster (right) [Images Courtesy: @danhardymma @ufc]

Former UFC fighter and now respected analyst Dan Hardy has given some insight into how the upcoming interim heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis will play out.

Hardy is considered one of the best analytical minds in MMA when it comes to breaking down upcoming fights.

But as Hardy notes early on, Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane is relatively clear cut. Lewis is a heavy hitter with one punch knockout power. Meanwhile, Gane is a technical striker who prefers to outclass his opponents rather than go for a spectacular finish. In a video uploaded to the BT Sport YouTube channel, Hardy stated:

"Derrick Lewis may land a huge right hand and knock Ciryl Gane out... Ciryl Gane has to stay out of danger as much as possible, but's that's very difficult to do against Derrick Lewis."

Check out Hardy's full breakdown below:

Breaking down Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis' individual strengths

As with every bout, both fighters have specific strengths that could potentially give them the edge in the matchup.

Ciryl Gane has drawn the eyes of many fight fans due to his unique style that breaks the mold of a traditional heavyweight. Hardy stated the following about the Frenchman:

"Ciryl's looked incredible since he came into the UFC. He won his first couple of fights by submission and then since then has shown his striking skills, his athleticism, his patience, his intelligence in his approach. He's a very sharp individual. He's very well measured... You'll be hard-pressed to find him getting caught with a clean shot by anybody he fights."

By comparison, Derrick Lewis is much more of a classic UFC heavyweight. He relies on the pure power that being a 260-pound athlete naturally bestows, and has a plethora of knockouts on his record to back it up. On Lewis' power, Hardy said:

"Derrick Lewis is like a wrecking ball. Every time we've spoken about Derrick Lewis before, regardless of whether he's fighting Daniel Cormier, or whether he's fighting Volkov, or whether he's fighting Ciryl Gane, the same thing is always present. If he lands that right hand, it's game over."

Gane and Lewis will go head to head in the main event of UFC 265 next month. The winner will be crowned interim heavyweight champion and will move onto a unification bout with current undisputed champ Francis Ngannou.

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