Tag: UFC Fight Night 209

UFC Fight Night 209: Make your predictions for Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 209 event in Paris.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 209 event in Paris.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC Fight Night 209 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC Fight Night 209 takes place Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. The card streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the fights below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

UFC Fight Night 209 free fight: Tai Tuivasa adds Derrick Lewis to highlight reel with elbow KO

Check out the full fight between Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis at UFC 271 in Houston.

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] made the journey to Houston in February to take on the city’s favorite fighter, Derrick Lewis.

Tuivasa (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) typically has the full support of fans in attendance thanks to his likable personality fan-friendly fight style and his affinity for drinking beer from a shoe after finishing his opponents. However, at UFC 271, fans were torn when he stepped in to face Lewis (26-10 MMA, 17-8 UFC) in his backyard.

By the end of the fight, he would have the crowd on their feet as he downed a signature shoey.

The first round was grapple-heavy for the first few minutes, aside from a couple of hard exchanges. Tuivasa clinched and held Lewis against the fence until broken up by the referee. A few moments later, Lewis would get Tuivasa to the ground, posture up, and start unloading heavy punches. Tuivasa kept firing back as he returned to his feet, in a wild moment that many expected from this matchup.

The fight would continue into the second round, but would not make it past that.

Lewis stunned Tuivasa with big punches in the first minute, but “Bam Bam” was able to clinch and slow the momentum. Just a few seconds later though, the pair separated and began throwing bombs. This time Tuivasa found Lewis’ chin, and landed the elbow strike to end the fight at 1:40 by knockout.

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Tuivasa steps back in the cage to face former interim heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 209 at Accor Arena in Paris. In his second fight of 2022, Tuivasa will attempt to extend his five-fight stoppage streak to six, as he hunts for a title shot.

It will be a home game for Gane, who will look to rebound from the first loss of his pro MMA career from UFC 270 vs. Francis Ngannou. Prior to the defeat, Gane won his first seven UFC bouts, including stoppages of Lewis and former champion Junior dos Santos.

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Robert Whittaker entertaining permanent move to light heavyweight to finish career

The former UFC middleweight champ has given thought to closing out his career in a third division.

Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] has given thought to making the move up to the light heavyweight division.

It wouldn’t be the first weight class change for Whittaker (23-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC), who entered the UFC as a welterweight after “The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs. U.K.,” in 2012. Whittaker’s first five fights with the promotion were at 170 pounds, and he won three of those bouts. He then moved up to the middleweight division in 2014, and won eight straight en route to the title.

With the current state of the division in a bit of flux as current champion Israel Adesanya is lapping the division and holds two title wins over him, Whittaker has been entertaining the idea of another move.

“I’ve been thinking about 205 a fair bit,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “The problem is, I wouldn’t go to 205 to come back down to 185. Just because I don’t want to go to 205 as a fat 185, right? You see a lot of guys try that and they just get starched. And then they come back down. It doesn’t make sense.”

The move to the middleweight division proved to be a smart move for Whittaker. Fighting closer to his natural weight and training the proper way to ensure success led him to claim the title. He knew then that a move up meant there would be no going back down.

“So when I moved up to 185 the first time, there was no way, like I would never go back down to 170,” Whittaker said. “Could never. Got to put on muscle, you have to train at that weight. Got to do all of the bits and bobs then and there. … I think it will be a more natural weight for me, personally, but the height disadvantage is annoying. I don’t know if I would want to deal with that.”

Whittaker’s two-time rival Adesanya attempted the move in 2021 to challenge for his second title, but was turned away by now-former champion Jan Blachowicz. Adesanya then returned to middleweight.

Just like when he moved from 170 pounds to 185, Whittaker knows the move will have to be a permanent one due to all of the changes he would have to make in preparation. At 31, the former champ isn’t ready to say he’s going to do it for certain, but if he does, he will say goodbye to middleweight forever.

“Once I make the decision to go up to 205, I’m there. That’ll be my division. I’d finish my career there, for better or worse. I’m doing really well at 185. … I’m definitely one of the most dangerous guys in the division.”

Whittaker returns to action at UFC Fight Night 209 to face Marvin Vettori in the co-main feature. The event takes place Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. The card streams on ESPN+.

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UFC Fight Night 209 free fight: Ciryl Gane crushes former champ Junior Dos Santos with elbow

Watch the moment Ciryl Gane put his name among the heavyweight elite by finishing Junior Dos Santos at UFC 256.

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] was already turning heads after his debut year in the UFC, but his fourth win was a big statement that proved he belonged among the elite of the heavyweight division.

After defeating Raphael Pessoa, Don’Tale Mayes, and Tanner Boser all in 2019, Gane (10-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) returned for his fourth appearance with the promotion to face former champion Junior Dos Santos in the main card opener of UFC 256 on Dec. 12, 2020.

It was a statement performance from Gane, who styled on the former champ. Gane’s sharp, quick offense paired with smart defense gave Dos Santos trouble as he struggled to land significant offense.

After picking Dos Santos apart, Gane hurt the former champ with strikes in the middle of the second round. The closing sequence soon followed, when Gane landed a hard right elbow that dropped his opponent, leading to the TKO stoppage at 2:34 of Round 2.

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Gane returns to home soil to headline UFC Fight Night 209 against Tai Tuivasa on Sept. 3 at Accor Arena in Paris. After ending up on the wrong end of the judges’ scorecards in a title unification bout against Francis Ngannou at UFC 270, Gane will look to rebound from the first loss of his professional career. In the bout prior, Gane claimed the vacant interim title by defeating Derrick Lewis by third-round TKO in Houston at UFC 265.

On the other side, Tuivasa (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has won five consecutive fights, all by early stoppage. He last fought against Lewis at UFC 271, finishing the fight in the second round by elbow knockout to earn a Performance of the Night bonus.

Check out the full fight from UFC 256 above ahead of UFC Fight Night 209.

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UFC Fight Night 209 adds Jarno Errens, William Gomis in late-notice clash of newcomers

The French representation on the promotion’s country debut is now back up to five athletes.

Less than two weeks out from the first UFC card to take place in France, the promotion has added a little more local flavor.

Promotional newcomers [autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag] (13-3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]William Gomis[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) have been booked late-notice for UFC Fight Night 209, which takes place Saturday, Sept. 3 at Accor Arena in Paris and streams on ESPN+.

The UFC officially announced the featherweight bout Friday. French news outlet La Sueur was first to report the booking.

The addition of Gomis brings the French athlete count up to five for the event. Gomis joins his countrymen Benoit Saint-Denis, Nassourdine Imavov, Fares Ziam, and headliner Ciryl Gane.

French fighters Cedric Doumbe, Taylor Lapilus, Manon Fiorot, and Zarah Fairn were all at different points scheduled to compete, but withdrew or were removed from the lineup

Gomis, 25, is considered one of the top prospects in all of Europe. After a 2-2 start to his professional career, Gomis rattled off eight straight victories that led to his UFC signing. He most recently competed for ARES FC in June when he defeated Jose Marcos via third-round ground-and-pound.

Errens, 27, is a native of The Netherlands. Over the span of his most recent seven bouts, Errens in 5-1-1. Eight of his 13 victories have ended inside the distance. He most recently competed in August when he defeated Alisher Abdullaev via unanimous decision at Brave CF 61.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 209 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Marvin Vettori vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Alessio Di Chirico vs. Roman Kopylov
  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. John Makdessi
  • Charles Jourdain vs. Nathaniel Wood

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, noon ET)

  • Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
  • Michal Figlak vs. Fares Ziam
  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Gabriel Miranda vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
  • Cristian Quinonez vs. Khalid Taha
  • Stephanie Egger vs. Ailin Perez
  • Jarno Errens vs. William Gomis

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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