Ciryl Gane

Pereira opened aggressively with kicks and a late right hand, but Gane found his range behind the jab and straight left. Early in Round 2 a counter jab dropped Pereira, and Gane swarmed with heavy shots and elbows against the fence until referee Herb Dean stopped it at 1:27. Gane claimed the interim heavyweight title for the second time.

Key moments

• Round 1 was competitive: Pereira landed a head kick and a hard right late; Gane established his jab and straight left and stuffed a takedown.
• Early in Round 2 a Gane counter jab dropped Pereira, swinging the fight decisively.
• Gane unloaded punches and elbows, wobbling Pereira repeatedly against the cage as a desperation takedown failed.
• Herb Dean waved it off at 1:27 of Round 2 — denying Pereira a historic third-division title.

Gane challenged undisputed champion Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight title in Abu Dhabi. Late in a competitive opening round, Gane reached out with an open hand while throwing a kick and poked Aspinall in both eyes. Aspinall could not see out of his right eye, and the bout was waved off as a no contest at 4:35 of round one.

Key moments

• A competitive opening round between two elite strikers.
• An accidental double eye poke in the closing seconds of round one.
• Aspinall could not continue; the bout was ruled a no contest.
• Left Gane without a decisive result and in line for a rebooking.

In a rematch of their 2021 bout, Gane edged Volkov on a controversial split decision. He led in significant strikes and scored two takedowns, but Volkov out-landed him in total strikes and controlled more time late, making the verdict a contentious one.

Key moments

• Gane swept the first round on all three cards.
• Volkov took the third and out-grappled Gane down the stretch.
• The split-decision verdict drew heavy criticism.
• Gane's first win after the Jon Jones loss.

Headlining in Paris, Gane bounced back from the Jones loss with a dominant striking performance. He picked Spivac apart at range, dropped him and finished with ground strikes in the second round to reassert himself as a top contender.

Key moments

• Controlled distance against a grappling-first opponent.
• Dropped Spivac and finished with ground-and-pound.
• Second-round TKO in front of a home crowd.

Gane met Jon Jones for the vacant heavyweight title in Jones' debut at the weight. Jones closed the distance almost immediately, took Gane down and locked up a guillotine choke, forcing the tap just over two minutes into the first round.

Key moments

• Jones shot in early and dragged the fight to the mat.
• Gane had no answer for the wrestling exchange.
• Tapped to a guillotine at 2:04 of round one.

Headlining the first UFC card in Paris, Gane survived an early scare — Tuivasa rocked him in the first round — before settling into his rhythm. He took over with volume striking and finished Tuivasa with strikes in the third round to rebound from his title loss to Ngannou.

Key moments

• Tuivasa hurt Gane early in round one.
• Gane regrouped and out-struck Tuivasa over the next two rounds.
• Third-round KO in front of a roaring Paris crowd.

In a heavyweight title unification bout at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Ngannou defied expectations by abandoning his knockout game and wrestling Gane into defeat. Gane controlled the early rounds with cleaner striking and movement, but Ngannou repeatedly dragged the fight to the mat from round three onward — landing four takedowns — to take a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) despite fighting with a completely torn MCL that he had suffered three weeks prior.

Key moments

• Gane led the first two rounds with mobile, technical striking while Ngannou's gas tank appeared to empty chasing him.
• Ngannou caught a Gane head kick in round three and converted it into a massive body slam, shifting the fight's momentum.
• Ngannou landed four takedowns across the championship rounds, grinding out control time Gane could not neutralise.
• Post-fight, Ngannou revealed he had fought with a completely torn MCL and damaged ACL, sustained three weeks before the bout.

Gane dominated Lewis in Houston to claim the interim UFC heavyweight title, becoming the first fighter from France to hold a UFC championship. Fighting at the Toyota Center, he out-struck Lewis by massive margins in every round — 26 significant strikes to three in the first, 23 to five in the second — before hurting the veteran repeatedly in the third round and stopping him at 4:11.

Key moments

• Gane entered the fight a perfect 9-0 and Lewis had won four straight, but the technical gap was immediately apparent.
• Out-landed Lewis 26-3 in significant strikes in the first round alone.
• Controlled all three rounds at range, neutralising Lewis's one-punch danger.
• Became the first French-born UFC champion with the third-round TKO stoppage.

Headlining at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Gane outworked former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov over five rounds with a disciplined jab-and-kick game to earn a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46). The performance confirmed him as the division's fastest-rising title contender heading toward the interim title fight with Derrick Lewis.

Key moments

• Gane was technically the smaller man but consistently beat Volkov to the punch with a lightning-quick jab.
• Varied his attack with leg kicks, body kicks and power left hands to keep Volkov guessing throughout.
• Controlled all five rounds at range, limiting Volkov's ability to time his counters.
• Moved to a perfect 9-0 with the win, setting up a number-one contender position.

Facing one of the hardest hitters in the division at UFC Apex, Gane chose a cautious, technical approach — circling at long range, using legs kicks and single shots to deny Rozenstruik any opening for five rounds. All three judges scored it 50-45 for Gane, a shutout that moved him to 8-0 and into the top-five rankings, though the conservative pace drew criticism from observers.

Key moments

• Gane fought at the end of his range throughout, using leg kicks and single strikes rather than volume to stay safe.
• Rozenstruik's knockout threat kept the fight cautious — Gane gave him few openings over the entire five rounds.
• Swept every round on all three scorecards, 50-45 across the board.
• The win made him a top-five contender but the uneventful style drew criticism; it was characterised as one of the worst five-round fights in UFC history by some observers.

Gane faced former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 256 in Las Vegas and imposed his length throughout, using low kicks and a stiff jab to keep the Brazilian at distance. In the second round he clinched and landed a sharp elbow to the head that put dos Santos down and drew the stoppage at 2:34.

Key moments

• Controlled distance against a former heavyweight champion with a strong chin.
• Used long-range kicks and jab to set up the clinch work in the second round.
• A decisive elbow in the clinch put dos Santos down and ended the fight at 2:34 of round two.
• The win over a former champion pushed Gane into serious title contention at heavyweight.

In his third UFC bout, Gane faced Canadian heavyweight Tanner Boser in Busan, South Korea, winning a unanimous decision (30-26 on all three cards) in a fight where his technical striking edge was consistent even if a finish never materialised. Boser was durable enough to survive to the final bell but could not close the gap against Gane's range and movement.

Key moments

• Scored 30-26 on all three judges' scorecards — a dominant card despite no finish.
• Boser landed combinations early but Gane's movement and counter-striking kept him on the back foot.
• Boser survived the full three rounds despite eating consistent body and head strikes.
• A third straight UFC win moved Gane further up the heavyweight rankings.

Gane showcased his versatility at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, wearing Mayes down on the feet across two rounds before shooting for a takedown with under a minute left in the third. He transitioned to a heel hook and forced the tap at 4:46 — with just 13 seconds remaining in the round — earning a Performance of the Night bonus and signalling his grappling was genuine.

Key moments

• Used his striking range to dominate the first two rounds on the feet before shifting to grappling.
• Secured a takedown with under 50 seconds remaining in round three and immediately hunted a leg lock.
• The heel hook tap came at 4:46, just 13 seconds before the final bell — a dramatic finish.
• Earned a Performance of the Night bonus for the submission.

Gane made his UFC debut in Montevideo, Uruguay, and surprised observers by submitting Brazilian heavyweight Raphael Pessoa from side control with an arm-triangle choke at 4:12 of the first round — a grappling finish that caught even Gane himself off guard given his Muay Thai background. The debut announced him as an all-around threat at heavyweight.

Key moments

• UFC debut against a Brazilian heavyweight on short notice in Uruguay.
• Transitioned to side control and locked in an arm-triangle choke for the first-round submission.
• Post-fight Gane admitted he surprised himself by getting the submission, having expected to win on the feet.
• Set the tone for a UFC run that would see him go undefeated through his first nine fights.

In the main event of TKO 48 in Gatineau, Quebec, Gane made a successful TKO heavyweight title defence against Roggers Souza, a Brazilian fighter entering the bout with an 8-2 record. Gane dropped Souza early, allowed the referee to restart them, then dropped him again and swarmed until the stoppage came at 4:26 of the first round.

Key moments

• Headlined TKO 48 as the reigning TKO heavyweight champion against a legitimate challenger at 8-2.
• Dropped Souza early in round one, briefly allowing him to recover before pressing again.
• A second knockdown triggered the stoppage at 4:26 of the opening round.
• Last fight before signing with the UFC the same year.

Gane made his first TKO heavyweight title defence at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, stopping Adam Dyczka by TKO punches at 4:57 of the second round. The fight came just one month after Gane had won the vacant belt in his pro debut, and the successful defence reinforced the rapid trajectory that would soon attract UFC attention.

Key moments

• First professional title defence, held at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City.
• Took place only one month after Gane won the vacant TKO heavyweight title in his debut.
• Stopped Dyczka by TKO punches at 4:57 of the second round.
• A two-fight TKO title run in under two months before transitioning to the UFC.

Gane launched his professional MMA career in Montreal at age 28, fighting for the vacant TKO Major League MMA Heavyweight Championship in his very first bout. Despite his background being almost entirely in Muay Thai, he submitted Sullivan with a guillotine choke at 1:42 of the first round to win the title on debut.

Key moments

• Professional MMA debut at age 28, with a Muay Thai background but limited prior grappling experience.
• Competed for the vacant TKO heavyweight title in his very first professional bout.
• Finished Sullivan with a guillotine choke at 1:42 — a grappling finish that hinted at well-rounded potential.
• Became TKO heavyweight champion on debut, a platform that led directly to UFC signing.