Ciryl Gane Stops Spirited Tai Tuivasa in Stellar UFC Fight Night 209 Headliner

The brutality was beautiful.

Ciryl Gane strengthened his position as the top contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division, as he took out Tai Tuivasa with punches in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 209 headliner on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. Tuivasa (14-4, 8-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 4:23 into Round 3, suffering his first defeat in nearly three years.

Gane (11-1, 8-1 UFC) did not escape unscathed. Tuivasa floored him with a clubbing right hand to touch off a remarkable sequence in the second round that saw both men badly hurt on multiple occasions. Gane worked over the Aussie’s midsection and forced him to double over more than once with savage kicks, knees and hooks to the cut. From there, the Frenchman found another gear in what turned into a potentially star-making performance. He once again zeroed in on the body with a series of front kicks, slipped a counterpunch and connected with a crushing right hand that had Tuivasa out on his feet. A searing combination followed, as Gane drove his counterpart to the canvas and finished the job with unanswered punches.

THE HOMETOWN HERO JUST TORE THE ROOF OFF THE @ACCOR_ARENA!!!! 🇫🇷

[ @Ciryl_Gane | #UFCParis ] pic.twitter.com/8jTZ5ndYqa

— UFC (@ufc) September 3, 2022

Polished Whittaker Routs Vettori

Robert Whittaker ran circles around Marvin Vettori on his way to a three-round unanimous decision in the middleweight co-main event. All three cageside judges scored it for Whittaker (24-6, 15-4 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28).

The gulf between the two men in terms of overall skill was wider than many anticipated. Whittaker connected with a variety of strikes—crisp right hands, front kicks to the body and knees from short range—and used sublime footwork and head movement to stay out of range. More often than not, Vettori (18-6-1, 8-4-1 UFC) was left swinging at air in what became an exercise of futility for the Italian. Whittaker buzzed the tower with a head kick in the third round and incorporated a few takedowns to amuse himself.

The 31-year-old Whittaker has won 13 of his past 15 bouts, losing only to reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

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Imavov Denies Knockout-Minded Buckley

MMA Factory’s Nassourdine Imavov skilled and willed his way to a unanimous decision over Joaquin Buckley in a three-round middleweight grudge match. An emerging threat at 185 pounds, Imavov (12-3, 4-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 marks from the cageside judges.

Buckley (15-5, 5-3 UFC) mostly just survived through 10 minutes. Imavov powered into mount and paired it with ground-and-pound in the first round, then executed a takedown and progressed to the back before threatening with the rear-naked choke in the second. Fatigue set in on the favorite in Round 3, opening the door for a potential Buckley comeback. “New Mansa” ate a few uppercuts for his troubles but continued to swing for the fences with power punches and even snuck in a knee from the clinch in a bid to spring the late upset. Those efforts ultimately failed.

Imavov, 27, will carry a three-fight winning streak into his next assignment.

Kopylov Burst Fells Di Chirico

Former Fight Nights Global champion Roman Kopylov wiped out Alessio Di Chirico with punches in the third round of their featured middleweight attraction. Kopylov (9-2, 1-2 UFC) drew the curtain 69 seconds into Round 3, posting his first victory since Dec. 27, 2018.

Di Chirico (13-7, 4-7 UFC) appeared to turn the corner in the middle stanza, where he took a chunk out of the Russian’s nose, got his right hand in gear and worked behind strong jab. Kopylov re-established himself in the third, as he zeroed in on the body with kicks and targeted the head with clean one-twos. He eventually backed Di Chirico to the fence and let fly with a devastating burst of punches that sent the Italian faceplanting to the canvas.

The 32-year-old Di Chirico has come up short in five of his last six appearances.

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Gomis Edges Errens on Scorecards

MMA Factory prospect William Gomis did enough to get by in his Octagon debut, as he laid claim to a majority decision over Jarno Errens in a three-round featherweight feature between talented newcomers at 145 pounds. Scores from the cageside judiciary were 29-28, 29-28 and 29-29, sending Gomis (11-2, 1-0 UFC) to the winner’s circle.

Errens (13-4-1, 0-1 UFC) was never out of it but struggled to address the strength and speed discrepancies with which he was confronted. Gomis operated behind sneaky kicks and occasional combinations but did his best work with takedowns and suffocating top control. The French sanda stylist wandered into a triangle choke in the third round but managed to free himself after a few harrowing moments.

Gomis has recorded nine straight wins.

Wood Outstrikes Jourdain to Decision

Strategic takedowns, efficient standup and superior short-range tactics carried former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Nathaniel Wood to a unanimous decision over Charles Jourdain in their three-round featherweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it for Wood (19-5, 6-2 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Speed and output worked against Jourdain (13-6-1, 4-5-1 UFC). Wood buckled him with a right hook in the first round, executed beautiful foot-sweep takedowns on multiple occasions and piled up points with short punches, elbows and knee strikes to the body in close quarters. Jourdain stayed competitive from start to finish but always seemed to be a step behind the Great Britain Top Team representative.

Wood, 29, has recorded back-to-back victories since moving to 145 pounds.

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