Tag: Ciryl Gane

Why Chael Sonnen thinks Tom Aspinall potentially facing Ciryl Gane at UFC 304 is a big risk

Chael Sonnen doesn’t want to see Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane next.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] doesn’t want to see [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] next.

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) confirmed that he’ll be fighting at UFC 304, which will take place July 27 in the newly built Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

Aspinall dismissed Gane as a potential opponent after Gane refused to acknowledge his presence this past September in Paris. Aspinall watched Gane finish Serghei Spivac, but didn’t get his desired face-off. Gane hasn’t competed since, but Aspinall wound up facing Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title at UFC 295, and knocked him out to claim the belt. Now Aspinall is making Gane wait his turn.

Cormier likes Aspinall vs. Gane (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) next, but Sonnen sees a big problem with that fight.

“I believe that the problem is if you do bring Ciryl back, if he wins, you put a belt around Ciryl,” Sonnen said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier. “If Jon Jones is agreeable, you’re going to do a rematch between Jon Jones and Ciryl.

“I think that’s too tough after the performance that Ciryl gave (at UFC 285), or did not give. I just don’t think there’s any scenario where they re-do that match, and you would run into a big risk if you put the belt around him.”

Aspinall wants to run things back with Blaydes. Blaydes handed Aspinall his only octagon loss when Aspinall blew out his knee just 18 seconds into their fight in July 2022. Blaydes is coming off an impressive knockout of Jailton Almeida at UFC 299 – snapping the Brazilian contender’s 15-fight winning streak.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Ciryl Gane denies Tom Aspinall’s claims of ducking UFC fight: ‘I’ll see you in September, stop tripping’

Ciryl Gane “never, ever” says no to a challenge, prompting him to clap back at UFC interim champ Tom Aspinall’s claim.

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] has clapped back at UFC interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s ducking accusations.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) claimed that he only got to fight Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 because Gane turned the Russian down. Aspinall also accused Gane (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) of turning down fights with him and Curtis Blaydes, which Blaydes discussed after his knockout of Jailton Almeida at UFC 299.

“He’s dismissed me on multiple occasions, and I’m not the first guy he’s dismissed,” Aspinall said on “The MMA Hour.” “I’m not the first guy that he’s ducked. It’s out there for people to see. The reason that I got the Pavlovich fight is because Ciryl didn’t want it.

“He ducked Pavlovich. He then ducked Curtis Blaydes. Curtis Blaydes has been on record saying that. I asked for him years ago. He didn’t want it then. Then I asked for him in Paris. They flew me over; we tried to make that fight. He didn’t want it then, and we’ll see what the UFC wants to do.”

Gane responded to Aspinall on X by denying those claims and offered to fight him at the UFC’s expected Paris event in September.

“.@AspinallMMA, I never, ever say no to any challenge or any opponent. Blaydes was never an option. They said Pavlovich, I said yes. Don’t worry, I’ll see you in September, stop tripping 📍@Mickmaynard2 @danawhite.”

Gane rebounded from his title-fight loss to Jon Jones with a second-round TKO of Serghei Spivac last September. Meanwhile, Aspinall campaigned hard for a title-unification bout with heavyweight champion Jones but is willing to defend his interim title first. Jones is expected to make his first title defense against Stipe Miocic upon return from injury.

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Alex Pereira at heavyweight? UFC champ ‘Poatan’ has fun staredown with Ciryl Gane

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira didn’t look too undersized when facing off with a top-ranked heavyweight.

UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] didn’t look too undersized when facing off with a top-ranked heavyweight.

Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), a former middleweight champion, defeated Jan Blachowicz then knocked out Jiri Prochazka to claim the 205-pound title this past November at UFC 295.

Pereira’s coach and mentor Glover Teixeira claimed that “Poatan” is disciplined enough to compete at heavyweight, and we got a small taste of what that could be like when he faced off with former interim champ [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] at the Ares FC 18 event, which takes place Friday in France.

Check out their random face-off below courtesy of La Sueur:

It took Pereira just seven UFC fights to become a two-division champion, the fewest in company history. The former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion’s MMA resume already includes wins over notable names like ex-champs Prochazka, Blachowicz, and Israel Adesanya, as well as current UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

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Tom Aspinall scoffs at Ciryl Gane’s callout, suggests he fights Jailton Almeida

New interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall shut down Ciryl Gane’s callout after UFC 295.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] shut down [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]’s callout after UFC 295.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round to become interim heavyweight champion in Saturday’s co-headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Prior to getting the call to face Pavlovich, Aspinall flew to Paris to watch Ciryl Gane beat Sergei Spivac. Aspinall wanted Gane next, but “Bon Gamin” was solely focused on fighting up the rankings. Now that Aspinall is interim champion, Gane is interested in the fight.

“Congratulations, Tom. You are now the champion and become the one being pursued, and I am the hunter. See you soon 👀.”

Aspinall flipped the tables on Gane, suggesting he fight [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) instead.

“That’s interesting after I just called him out, went to France, and he turned the fight down,” Aspinall told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC 295 post-event news conference. “I think he should fight Almeida. I think them guys should fight each other first and see what happens there.”

Almeida agrees with Aspinall. The Brazilian, who’s unbeaten in the octagon, called out Gane (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) after he dominated Derrick Lewis in the UFC Fight Night 231 headliner. Almeida doubled down on his callout.

“I have bad news for you, my friend. You will have to face me before! 🖊️📄 @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite.”

“The champ already said Bon Gamin. The time is now. Me and you. Almeida vs Gane and the winner go to the title! Lets do it! Can be in France, can be in Brazil, can be in Saudit Arabia, can be UFC 300, anyplace, any time @ciryl_gane @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite.”

Aspinall hopes to land his dream fight against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones next. However, Jones is expected to have his title fight with Stipe Miocic rebooked once he returns from injury.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Jailton Almeida calls out Ciryl Gane in UFC’s messy heavyweight title picture after Lewis win

Jailton Almeida continued to run over the UFC’s heavyweight division, albeit in a different manner than fans have become accustomed to.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] continued to run over the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division Saturday, albeit in a different manner than fans have become accustomed to.

Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) used a takedown-heavy game plan that led to a UFC heavyweight record for ground control time at more than 21 minutes in a five-round domination of two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis (27-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) in the UFC fight Night 231 main event in Sao Paulo. The Brazilian moved to 6-0 in the UFC, and did so in front of his home fans.

Going into the fight, the 32-year-old had been to a decision just one time – which happened to be his most recent loss nearly six years ago, more than four years before he arrived in the UFC after a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. While there were moments when Almeida and Lewis swung for the fences, it clearly wasn’t in Almeida’s plans to get into a slugfest with Lewis.

The result was a sweep of the scorecards and the aforementioned new UFC record, but Almeida’s streak of finishes (14) and post-fight bonuses (three) came to an end. Almeida had to change his focus from Curtis Blaydes to Lewis on about three weeks’ notice when Blaydes pulled out. That led to the wrestle-centric attack.

“Remember that (Friday) I said he wanted a brawl, and I said it was going to be a show? Did I give you guys a show, or what?” Almeida said through a translator in his in-cage interview after the win. “We knew he had a heavy hand, and we had 15 or 20 days to come up with a strategy for this fight. We were able to do that and keep him down and avoid his right hand. I was touched, and I didn’t really feel it.”

The heavyweight title picture in the UFC is a bit of a mess, which historically might be par for the course for the division. But champion Jon Jones, who was supposed to headline UFC 295 on Saturday against ex-champ Stipe Miocic, is out for at least eight months with an injury. Miocic wasn’t offered an interim title shot, and he’ll wait for a fight with Jones.

At UFC 295, instead, an interim heavyweight belt will go to the winner between Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall, and that big man then apparently will wait for the Jones-Miocic winner.

All the commotion up top means other contenders like Almeida have to just keep fighting while the clock ticks for the fighters around the belts. So Almeida called out former interim champ [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (12-2 MMAA, 9-2 UFC).

“I want Ciryl Gane,” Almeida said of the Frenchman. “We can do it in Paris. We can do it in Salvador. We can do it wherever. I’m ready. Let’s do it, Ciryl Gane.”

Gane fought Jones for the vacant heavyweight title in March and was submitted in the first round. But he bounced back two months ago with a bonus-winning TKO of Serghei Spivac in the UFC Paris headliner in front of his home fans. After a 10-0 start to his career, he has alternated losses and wins his past four fights. Both setbacks, to Jones and Francis Ngannou, came in title bouts.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.

Report: Ciryl Gane’s home burglarized while he competed at UFC Fight Night 226

Just hours after his win at UFC Paris, Ciryl Gane found out that burglars entered his home and took more than $160,000 worth of stuff.

While he was competing at UFC Fight Night 226, [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]’s home was burglarized.

According to French newspaper Le Parisien, police were called to Gane’s apartment in Nogent-sur-Marne, a suburb of Paris, at around 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning, just hours after he fought at UFC Fight Night 226 at Accor Arena. Police discovered forced entry through the front door and found that a Rolex watch and more jewelry were missing. In total, the damage was assed at $150,000 euros, or roughly $162,000 U.S.

According to Le Parisien, this method of burglary – while high-profile victims aren’t home – is often used against professional soccer players. A source close to the case told the newspaper it’s possible the burglars were helped from within Gane’s camp.

“It is possible that the thugs have carried out scouting or that someone from the sportsman’s entourage has informed them about his schedule,” the person said.

Just hours before police got the call, Gane put on a masterclass against Serghei Spivac in front of his home crowd. Gane won by second-round TKO with a barrage of punches, a nice rebound from his disappointing showing against Jon Jones in March.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Ciryl Gane after UFC Fight Night 226 win?

Ciryl Gane is back in a position of prominence in the heavyweight division after his UFC Fight Night 226 win, but what’s next for him?

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] answered some important questions about his career on Saturday when he defeated Serghei Spivac in the UFC Fight Night 226 main event.

After a deflating loss to Jon Jones for the vacant heavyweight title in March, there was some mystery around how Gane (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) would move forward in his career. He got a hometown headliner against Spivac (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) at Accor Arena in Paris, and responded in resounding fashion with a second-round TKO to get back in the win column.

Although no one is ready to entertain the idea of Gane getting a rematch with Jones at this point, he certainly is worthy of another significant fight in the division. But who should it be?

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Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Gane’s future after his UFC Fight Night 226 victory.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.

4 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 226: Rose Namajunas’ curious future, Ciryl Gane saves reputation

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 226, including Rose Namajunas’ curious fighting future.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 226 at the Accor Arena in Paris? Here are a few post-fight musings …

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UFC Fight Night 226 post-event facts: Rose Namajunas’ career hits uncharted territory after loss

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 226, such as Rose Namajunas being on the first true losing skid of her career.

The UFC’s second trip to Paris was another significant event for French MMA with UFC Fight Night 226 going down Saturday at Accor Arena.

Multiple French fighters on the card thrived, but none more than former interim UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC, who thrived in the main event with a second-round TKO of [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) to rebound from his loss against Jon Jones earlier this year.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 226.

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UFC Fight Night 226 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Multiple fighters top card with $11,000

UFC Fight Night 226 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

PARIS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 226 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $128,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 226 took place at the Accor Arena in France. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 226 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yanis Ghemmouri[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Manolo Zecchini[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Caolan Loughran[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kleydson Rodrigues[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jacqueline Cavalcanti[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zarah Fairn[/autotag]: $4,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2261 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,735,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,324,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.