UFC heavyweight prospect Ciryl Gane made a huge impact in the main card opener for UFC 256 against Junior Dos Santos. The Frenchman earned a TKO at 02:34 of the second round and put away the former champion with relative ease. Gane had a long lay-off with several cancelations in the middle of 2020 and he’ll be pleased with a high-profile win.
The 7-0 Thai boxing specialist utilized masterful distance management that was brought into play with leg kicks. Additionally, Dos Santos remained in an upright boxing stance that prevented any effective blocking of the kicking assault. Chiefly, the finishing sequence came right off a jab the rocked ‘JDS’ and Ciryl Gane put him away.
Ciryl Gane now goes 7-0 and scores the biggest win of his career after finishing former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos! 🙌#UFC256 pic.twitter.com/dLSFkBe6q6
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) December 13, 2020
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Furthermore, there was some controversy with the finishing sequence as Gane connected a short elbow that landed at the back of the head. Junior Dos Santos complained about the stoppage as the replay was brought forth. However, as ‘JDS’ was moving away from the strike and had his back virtually turned, the elbow was largely legitimized.
UFC heavyweights: Junior Dos Santos vs Ciryl Gane
There was plenty of chatter online regarding the aforementioned heavyweight bout and the somewhat controversial finish. The general consensus was that Dos Santos’ backward movement ended up being his downfall. MMA pundit Luke Thomas took to social media and chimed in on the finish that had everyone talking.
Looks to me like Gane's final strike was borderline in terms of legality:https://t.co/AEUrJvyUUH
— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) December 13, 2020
What’s more, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was dialed into the top-tier striking that Ciryl Gane displayed. ‘The Last Stylebender’ gave a massive shout-out to the surging heavyweight star who has a well defined stand-up arsenal.
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Moreover, his versatility for his massive frame could take him to high places as a divisional elite.
Gane! What a G!!
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) December 13, 2020
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Chiefly, Ciryl Gane is now tied for the longest active win streak in the division with 4 wins. He’s in the leagues with Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes, who are title contenders at the top of the heap. With a strong striking and grappling game, the ceiling for Gane is extremely high and he’ll look towards a title opportunity in the near future.
What did you make of his fight against the former heavyweight champion?