Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa didn’t disappoint in the first UFC main event ever to take place in France.
Saturday’s UFC Paris heavyweight headliners threw down in an exhilarating striking battle that saw both men rock each other with powerful strikes on multiple occasions. Gane entered the bout as a heavy favorite, but Tuivasa proved to be more than game as he nearly finished Gane in the second round. However, Gane’s striking was as powerful and as accurate as ever, and after hurting Tuivasa in that same round, he turned it on in Round 3 to end the fight.
Gane, a former interim champion, was coming off of the first loss of his career after losing to Francis Ngannou in a heavyweight title unification bout. With this win, he stays in the thick of the championship hunt.
Ngannou and UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards congratulated both fighters for their incredible performances, while featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski called Tuivasa “a hard bastard.”
The best compliment of all may have come from Derek Brunson, who said that Gane looked like “a heavyweight Jon Jones” on Saturday.
See more reactions to the heavyweight headliner and the rest of the main card below.
Great job guys!
Prop to Tai for being a warrior and Congrats to Cyril !!!#UFCParis— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) September 3, 2022
Gane is the new era of heavyweights . So tactical and damaging .A heavyweight Jon Jones ! #UFCParis
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) September 3, 2022
Smart opening round from gane. Tai getting closer with the bombs towards the end of the round, and ganes chin right up in the air
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) September 3, 2022
Tais power is incredible, and those body shots from Gane are crazy
— Terrance ‘T Wrecks’ McKinney (@twrecks155) September 3, 2022
What a round! Love watching both of these guys!
— GIGA CHIKADZE (@giga_chikadze) September 3, 2022
Holy crap what an awesome round of fighting! So much better when they don’t do defense
— Funky (@Benaskren) September 3, 2022
Damn! That was an exciting round! A huge overhand and massive body kick!!! #UFCParis
— Jared Vanderaa (@Jaredvanderaa) September 3, 2022
What’s a 2nd rnd! Tuivasa needs to work on recovery, he’ll succumb to the punches and go out in the 3rd if he doesn’t. 10-9 Gane for 2nd rnd. #UFCParis
— Julia Avila (@RagingPandaMMA) September 3, 2022
Gaaaaawd damn!!! That was a vicious ending to a great back n forth scrap! #UFCParis
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) September 3, 2022
Beautiful main event two incredible fighters Tai’s stock only went up from this one ✊
— Terrance ‘T Wrecks’ McKinney (@twrecks155) September 3, 2022
That fight was insane, Tuvasa is like a tank!! Gane is so smooth
— Funky (@Benaskren) September 3, 2022
Incredible from both guys. Huge respect
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) September 3, 2022
Gane better do a shoey with him
— Terrance ‘T Wrecks’ McKinney (@twrecks155) September 3, 2022
Both guys rose stock 1000x with that fight
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) September 3, 2022
Hurts to see Tai take the L but damnn what a freaking moment for Ciryl Gane!! #UFCParis
— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) September 3, 2022
Gane just put on a clinic. Worked the body to eventually bring the hands in. This dude is better than what I initially thought #ufcparis
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) September 3, 2022
Tai is the man ! What heart, Cyril… just amazing. Hit him with everything but tai made him work for it. What an amazing fight. Thank you, Paris #UFCParis
— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) September 3, 2022
Imavov looks huge is that how big I look when I fight
— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) September 3, 2022
Imavov doing a great job of using his significant reach advantage. Controlling the range very well #UFCParis
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) September 3, 2022
Buckley pouring it on. He knows he needs the finish.
— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) September 3, 2022
That last 30 seconds was outside a kebab shop in Leigh on a sat night. Great scrap all round
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) September 3, 2022
Shoutout to Buckley he left it all in there
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) September 3, 2022
Brother that looks like a bigger you lol
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) September 3, 2022
Beautiful performance chase congrats on the win brotha
— Terrance ‘T Wrecks’ McKinney (@twrecks155) September 3, 2022
I always knew if Chase Hooper moved to Russia and eat real food he would do great! #UFCParis
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) September 3, 2022
Man Nathaniel fought a perfect fight
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) September 3, 2022
Grated, I don’t keep tabs on the smaller weight classes as much but wood has improved leaps and bounds #UFCParis
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) September 3, 2022
Glad wood has moved up he looks great at this weight ! Great fight by both but he was a step ahead all the time #UFCParis
— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) September 3, 2022
