The Arc de Triomphe might have fit between Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa throughout the first eight minutes of Saturday’s UFC main event in Paris. That is how Gane wanted it to be. He demonstrated why he is regarded as the world’s most technical heavyweight striker for an entire round and a half.
Tuivasa kept moving forward and unleashing hefty punches, but he couldn’t reach Gane because the Frenchman was controlling the distance and landing precise jabs to the face and kicks to the body.
Midway through Round 2, Tuivasa finally connected with him with a winging right hand, causing Gane to stumble backwards and stiffen.
That’s what he accomplished, for Gane instantly launched an attack, closing the gap and using all of his resources.
Now that the body shots were clearly having an impact, Tuivasa was the one making his retreat. Ciryl Gane was on the attack as the round came to a close, and the Accor Arena audience was ecstatic. Fighting had begun.
But it wouldn’t last through another round. While the Australian fighter remained dangerous, Gane spent most of Round 3 viciously attacking Tuivasa’s delicate midsection. Ciryl Gane was no longer fighting from a distance. He stunned his opponent with a devastating right uppercut in the last second of the round, knocking him to the ground with a series of lefts, and referee Marc Goddard came in to stop the fight at 4:23.
This was the UFC’s wildly successful Paris premiere, in part due to the impassioned performance by two of its top heavyweights, however, the fighter competing in his hometown had much more memorable moments overall.
In addition, Gane and Tuivasa exhibited the best martial arts enthusiasm. There was no animosity. While they were trying to knock each other out, they kept grinning at each other the entire time. The crowd enjoyed it and sang enthusiastically throughout the first round, which was a treat for them.
