The MMA Daily

The main event comes in the Heavyweight division, as the former Interim Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane takes on Tai Tuivasa. Coming off a defeat to Champion Francis Ngannou in the title unification bout, Gane will look to get back on track. Given the fight was extremely close and his lack of abilities off his back cost him, another title shot could come with only one or two more victories. Meanwhile, Tuivasa comes into this fight on fire. Stringing together fight straight wins, all via knockout, Tuivasa has positioned himself in an opportunity that could catapult him into a title shot. Given he was “cut” before this winning streak, I’d say the Aussie has done an excellent job rebuilding himself.

This fight seems almost simple. In the first scenario, Gane is going to masterclass Tuivasa on the feet. Known for his Muay-Thai abilities, athleticism, speed and output, Gane has tremendous edges over Tuivasa. In scenario two, Tuivasa’s power shines through. Gifted with exceptional power, Tuivasa has an ace up his sleeve as long as he is standing. Which in his last five fights, has been very apparent. The problem however with this scenario, is that not only is Gane excellent at maintaining distance, he has proven to have excellent durability. While most of his fight against Ngannou took place on the mat, he did eat some shots that would of taken out other foes. Given that, and the fact that Gane does have some sneaky offensive grappling, the Frenchman is more than a one trick pony like Tuivasa. And for that, it’s scenario number one in which I envision happening. So with that said, I predict that Gane, on home soil, ignites the crowd with a TKO stoppage over Tuivasa.