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 champions fought in an exciting striking match that saw each man rock the other with numerous powerful strikes. 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.
Former interim champion Gane was just coming off a loss to Francis Ngannou, in which he lost a title unification fight for heavyweights. With this win, he stays in the thick of the championship hunt.
UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards and Ngannou congratulated the fighters on their amazing performances. Alexander Volkanovski, featherweight king, called Tuivasa “a hard Bastard .”
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Derek Brunson may be the greatest compliment, saying Gane looked “a heavyweight Jon Jones on Saturday”.
See more reactions below to the heavyweight headliner.
Great job guys! Congratulations to Cyril and Tai on being warriors! #UFCParis
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) September 3, 2022
What a fight !!!! congrats both men#UFCParis
— Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) September 3, 2022
@bambamtuivasa you hard bastard!! You’ll be back #UFCParis
— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) September 3, 2022
@bambamtuivasa I love you
— Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) September 3, 2022
Gane marks the beginning of a new age for heavyweights. A heavyweight Jon Jones is a great example of this. #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
Woooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) September 3, 2022
Woooow
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) September 3, 2022
Let’s go!! Let’s go !!!!! #UFCParis
— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) September 3, 2022
I LOVE THIS!!! #UFCParis
— Adrian Yanez (@yanezmma) September 3, 2022
WHAT A RD!!!! No other sport will ever draw these emotions out of me #UFCParis
— Jeff Molina (@jmolina_125) September 3, 2022
Tais power is incredible, and those body shots from Gane are crazy
— Terrance ‘T Wrecks’ McKinney (@twrecks155) September 3, 2022
Omg #UFCParis
— Tatiana Suarez (@tatianaufc) September 3, 2022
What a round! Love watching both of these guys!
— GIGA CHIKADZE (@giga_chikadze) September 3, 2022
Holy crap, what an amazing round of fighting So much better when they don’t do defense
— Funky (@Benaskren) September 3, 2022
The poly is coming out !!!! #cheehoo @bambamtuivasa
— Kai Kamaka III (@kaiboikamaka) September 3, 2022
Wild 2nd round Kongo/berry vibes almost… great scrap so far #UFCParis
— Billy Quarantillo (@BillyQMMA) September 3, 2022
Those saying Tuivasa has “no way of winning”
#UFCParis— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) September 3, 2022
Holy Macaroni!! What a round, these big boys are so bad ass!! #UFCParis
— PEARL GONZALEZ (@PearlGonzalez) September 3, 2022
Damn! That was an exciting round! It was a huge round! #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
Bam bam!!!
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) September 3, 2022
I agree – think down the road me and Nate wood would be a banger of a fight #UFCParis https://t.co/c7hZZXu4L9
— Billy Quarantillo (@BillyQMMA) September 3, 2022
Great Major Event! #UFCParis
— Alex Chambers (@alexchambersmma) September 3, 2022
Gaaaaawd damn!!! This was the end of a fantastic 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
This fight was crazy, Tuvasa looks like a tank! Gane is so smooth
— Funky (@Benaskren) September 3, 2022
Incredible from both guys. Huge respect
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) September 3, 2022
That teep feels like a ball ping hammer. Impressive @ciryl_gane
— Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) September 3, 2022
Gane better do a shoey with him
— Terrance ‘T Wrecks’ McKinney (@twrecks155) September 3, 2022
Madness! That was a great fight! #UFCParis
— Tatiana Suarez (@tatianaufc) 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 ! Amazing, Cyril! He was hit with all the right things, but it took a lot of tai to get him there. What an amazing fight. Thank you, Paris #UFCParis
— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) September 3, 2022
Nassourdine Imavov outlasts Joaquin Buckley
Buckley would be best at WW I think ! #UFCParis
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) September 3, 2022
Imavov looks huge is that how big I look when I fight
— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) September 3, 2022
Imavov looks hugeeeee
— LERONE MURPHY (@LeroneMurphy) 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
Never a boring fight with @Newmansa94 #UFCParis
— Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) September 3, 2022
Buckley pouring it on.
Buckley pours it on.
— 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
Roman Kopylov KOs Alessio Di Chirico
Let’s goooooo! https://t.co/oWxtfXxTCT
— Chase Hooper (@chase_hooper) 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 thought Chase Hooper would be great if he moved to Russia, eat real food and make a good living. #UFCParis
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) September 3, 2022
Kopylov hit the gas pedal
— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) September 3, 2022
Accurate and sharp finish from Kopylov to end the bout. Great finish #UFCParis
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) September 3, 2022
Nathaniel Wood impresses against Charles Jourdain
Man Nathaniel fought a perfect fight
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) September 3, 2022
Wood takes the first. Very good round from both guys #UFCParis
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) 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
Wood looking solid
— LERONE MURPHY (@LeroneMurphy) September 3, 2022
Wood is a dawg @ufc
— Saidyokub Kakhramonov (@SaidYokubMMA) September 3, 2022
I agree – think down the road me and Nate wood would be a banger of a fight #UFCParis https://t.co/c7hZZXu4L9
— Billy Quarantillo (@BillyQMMA) September 3, 2022
