"That's real, for five minutes" - Chael Sonnen explains how Tai Tuivasa's toughness may overshadow Ciryl Gane's technicality in upcoming fight
Tai Tuivasa has a certain tactical edge in the first round of his fight with Ciryl Gane says Chael Sonnen.
In a recent installment of his Beyond The Fight podcast, Sonnen broke down the machinations of the upcoming UFC Fight Night Paris main event bout as Tuivasa and Gane vie for victory on September 3. Many in the combat sports community see Ciryl Gane as the more multi-faceted technical fighter in terms of striking and submissions, while Tai Tuivasa is seen as the brick-fisted brawler.
When speaking about the ever-growing star power of 'Bam Bam' and what a win this weekend could do to that continued progress, Sonnen said:
"Going down and getting a win over Ciryl Gane, sky's the limit for [Tai] Tuivasa. You do whatever you want with him...I'm sharing with you a win over the former champion who just went 25 minutes with 'The Predator' [Francis Ngnanou], we're having a whole different conversation. When you have a guy that will go get in a dog fight."
Sonnen continued:
"First round's about who's better. You're talking who's better and I'm saying Tuivasa's not very good? That's real, for five minutes then you're in the tough guy business. Tuivasa's a tough guy. So it's one of these spots where heavyweight is changing very quickly."
Watch the video below:
Tai Tuivasa and his history of first round finishes
Tai Tuivasa has a tendency to get it done inside the first round of the fight, giving credence to Chael Sonnen's comments about the first five minutes for the 'Bam Bam'. While Tuivasa cut his teeth on the Australian mixed martial arts circuit, he put together a 6-0 record with all of the wins coming by way of a first-round finish in that stretch.
'Bam Bam' made his debut in the UFC in November 2017 with a first-round finish against Rashad Coulter, a fight that ended by way of a flying knee. Tuivasa's sophomore UFC win was over Cyril Asker at UFC 221 in February 2018. This bout also ended in a knockout within two minutes of the first round.
Tai Tuivasa also halted Stefan Struve via knockout with just one second remaining in the opening stanza of their UFC 254 clash in October 2020.
Harry Hunsucker fell to Tuivasa in 49 seconds during their UFC Fight Night bout. He also stopped Greg Hardy in 67 seconds at UFC 264.
Since it's Tai Tuivasa fight week, let's revisit this KO.
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