Gane vs Tuivasa UFC Fight Night preview & best bets – 3/9/2022

How will the technical prowess of France’s Ciryl Gane match up against the brawling style of Australia’s Tai Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night Paris?

The UFC Fight Night caravan rolls into France for the first time and is headlined with a pair of heavyweights who could not be more dissimilar in style and approach.

Ciryl Gane (10-1-0) is the top-ranked heavyweight contender and in any other era would be dominating the division. But he happens to fight during the same period as Francis Ngannou and must therefore settle for second billing, for now.

Gane fought Ngannou back in January 2022 at UFC 270 and came up short in his quest for UFC gold. Gane does appear to be the natural successor and will continue to fight other highly ranked contenders while waiting on another title shot.

Gane has been criticized for his ‘boring’ style in the past, but the Frenchman is a master technical combatant. He is a super-fit and chiselled athlete, throws a range of elegant strikes and, unlike other heavyweights, is happy to chip away at opponents rather than attempt to take their head off.

Gane is elusive for a big man, with great octagon movement. He generally stays out of trouble with his deft footwork and fires long-range attacks at about three-quarter power, and can do this all day. He won the interim belt against Derrick Lewis while Ngannou was taking a break, and boasts wins over Alexander Volkov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Junior dos Santos.

Tai Tuivasa (15-3-0) is the complete opposite to Gane in almost every respect. The brawling Aussie larrikin loves to step in to close range and brawl wildly with his opponents and is happy to wear some big shots while hunting a quick KO finish.

The third-ranked heavyweight contender is a fan favourite based on his brutal fighting style and for his post-fight antics that include drinking endless beers from random borrowed shoes. Fight fans love this kind of theatre.

Tuivasa is a knockout artist who has acquired some big scalps including Stefan Struve, Greg Hardy, and Derrick Lewis. He enters this contest on a five-fight winning run, all via KO, with his last three appearances earning him Performance of the Night bonuses.

Tuivasa’s most likely path to victory is via KO in the first or second round. His inferior fitness will see him tire at a much faster rate than Gane, and he will be hunting an early finish.

We are surprised that betting markets give Tuivasa almost no hope of winning this bout. The Aussie is a dangerous wild man who only needs to land once. Pundits are expecting the evasive skills of Gane to prove too much. If so, Tuivasa will spend the early rounds swinging and missing before his inferior gas tank limits his attack.

We are going to sprinkle a small bet on Tuivasa to win via KO here at the juicy odds on offer with Bovada. The Aussie’s skills are somewhat disguised by his larger-than-life persona, but underneath that rough exterior resides an effective combat warrior who might just get lucky and find a home for his deadly right hand. He may look like an out-of-work bricklayer, but Tuivasa can fight.

Best bet for Tuivasa vs Gane