UFC 265 is set to be headlined by two of the most promising heavyweight fighters, Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title when UFC heads back to Texas on August 8th.
The headliner of UFC 265 came as a surprise to every UFC fan out there as no one expected an interim title match after Francis Ngannou won the undisputed crown just three months back when he defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. Regardless of that, this fight could be the gateway to success for each of the fighters, as the winner of the fight between Gane and Lewis will go to bed with a title in his arms and a guaranteed shot at the Undisputed Championship against The Predator, Francis Ngannou.
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Cyril Gane or should I say, the “Bon Gamin” has an MMA record of 9 wins with 0 losses and is making a quick rise in the ranks to set up a thrilling contest against Derrick Lewis. The young Frenchman is on a six-fight win streak with his recent victories coming against Alexander Volkov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and a memorable TKO win against Junior Dos Santos. In his unbelievable run, Gane has maintained a 100% takedown defense record which is something Lewis needs to watch out for.
As for his opponent, Derrick Lewis, who is also known as “The Black Beast”, is currently #3 in the Heavyweight division and holds an MMA record of 25 wins and 7 losses, and currently is on a four-fight win streak. Since making his UFC debut in 2014, Lewis has knocked out a total of twelve opponents, some of the recent ones coming against Curtis Blaydes in February. The 31-year-old holds an impressive record of an 80% knockout rate.
Prediction: Ciryl Gane to win via unanimous decision
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Gane, who is still undefeated in UFC knows that it will only take one shot for Lewis to put an end to the fight but on the flip side, Gane is a technical fighter who is very fast with his moves which allows him to fight for longer duration which is something Lewis is not comfortable with. Many would love to see the Black Beast wear the belt around his waist but with Gane, one sees a mobile and fast opponent with great conditioning who should survive the fight and get his hands on the interim Heavyweight title.
[Image Credit: ESPN MMA]
Shashank Iyer