"He has more skills" - UFC Heavyweight Ciryl Gane picks a winner between Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes
UFC Heavyweight Ciryl Gane is one of the interested observers of the fight between top contenders Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. During an interview with James Lynch, Bon Gamin picked the winner of the fight by the virtue of skill.
"I like Derrick Lewis. He's a really fun guy. But I think I'm going with (Curtis) Blaydes. He has more skills. I think he's gonna finish (Derrick Lewis) beforehand." said Gane.
Bon Gamin told Lynch that he believes Curtis Blaydes is the more skilled fighter between the two and foresees Razor finishing Derrick Lewis in their fight.
Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis will headline the UFC Fight Night 185 event scheduled on February 20, 2021. The event will take place at UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
No.2 ranked heavyweight Curtis Blaydes (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) is considered to be the most dominant wrestler among active fighters. During his five-year tenure with UFC, Blaydes has defeated notable fighters like Junior Dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt, Alexei Oleinik and UFC Fight Night 184 winner Alexander Volkov.
Blaydes' explosive double-leg takedown, vicious ground and pound and elbow strikes on the mat are the most efficacious weapons in his arsenal. The Lakewood, Colorado native also has a respectable stand-up game coupled with takedown threat which has served him well in his fighting career. The only fighter to beat Curtis Blaydes is the No.1 ranked Cameroonian Heavyweight, Francis Ngannou, who holds two wins over Razor, both by TKO. Blaydes' last fight was a unanimous decision win over Alexander Volkov in June 2020.
Curtis Blaydes' opponent and No.4 ranked heavyweight Derrick Lewis (24-7-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) is an indispensable figure in UFC's Heavyweight division since 2014.
Although The Black Beast does not have a dominant record in his UFC career so far, he has shown periods of consistent success with wins over Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson, Travis Browne, Alexander Volkov and Francis Ngannou. Known for his physicality and bonafide knockout power, Lewis has an evident disadvantage in terms of technical skills.
Unlike some of the other fighters, the Black Beast preserves his power and carries it into the final rounds which is a major cause of concern for all of his opponents.
Cyril Gane is a curious observer of the fight between Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis
The TKO win over Junior Dos Santos at UFC 256 catapulted Ciryl Gane (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) to No.7 spot in the Heavyweight rankings. The MMA factory stand-out is expected to fight No.3 ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event of UFC Fight Night 186 on February 27, 2021.
The picture at the top of Heavyweight division is palpable at the moment. Champion Stipe Miocic will attempt to defend his title against Francis Ngannou at UFC 260.
Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis have previously defeated No.5 ranked Alexander Volkov. But Lewis' KO win over Volkov in 2018 raised more questions than it answered and likelihood of UFC booking the rematch between the two is higher if Lewis defeats Blaydes.
Therefore winner of Ciryl Gane vs Jairzinho Rosenstruik stands to gain a chance for a quick entry into the top two of heavyweight rankings if Blaydes emerges victorious.