Ciryl Gane lands brutal third-round knockout on Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris

Tom Naghten

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Ciryl Gane lands brutal third-round knockout on Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris image

Ciryl Gane scored a dramatic round-three knockout win over Australia’s Tai Tuivasa in a heavyweight epic at UFC Paris.

The Frenchman put on a show in front of his raucous home crowd in the company’s first ever event in the country.

Barring a wild moment in the second round in which Tuivasa’s trademark power sat Gane on his backside, it was a striking clinic from the number one contender.

Tuivasa’s mid-section took an absolute beating as Gane landed kick after kick to slow “Bam Bam” down.

Tuivasa looked like he might be folded several times but fought on bravely and even threatened to pull off an unlikely victory after catching Gane with a right hand in the second round.

As Tuivasa’s gas tank continued to fade in the third, Gane found the target with a right hand which wobbled the Aussie and some follow-up shots closed the show.

Tuivasa had already been bloodied by Gane's piercing jab but "Bon Gamin" admitted his opponent almost had him in the second.

"Honestly, Tai hit me so hard, he knocked me out, he put the lights out," Gane said post-fight.

"I fell down down but I had to be a warrior, I came back even stronger and I got the win."

Gane, who improved to 11-1, was coming off a loss to champion Francis Ngannou but said he's ready for another crack at the heavyweight title: "No matter who, Dana, I'm going back for the belt."

Despite being stopped, Tuivasa, whose record dropped to 14-4, had a message for the fans and his opponent.

"Thank you, Paris!" he said

"It wasn't my day but I come to fight and he's such a warrior.

"Good on you, brother."

 

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.