At UFC Paris, Ciryl Gane knocked out Tai Tuivasa in the third round to claim the top heavyweight contender position. The hometown hero celebrated the UFC’s arrival in France with a deserving performance that brought him much respect and admiration. Not everyone, though, was as happy with his victory.
In order to defeat the Australian, Gane allegedly struck Tuivasa in the back of the head with an illegal punch at the UFC bout, according to Gane’s former opponent Junior dos Santos. He posted a video of “Bon Gamin” striking his opponent in the back of the head during the fight’s closing exchanges along with a message of dissatisfaction on Twitter.
“Que cara sujo esse Gane De novo batendo na nuca, o que esses “especialistas” vão dizer agora? What a dirty fighter this Gane is Again hitting the back of the head Nad now what are those “fight experts” will say about it? @ufc @danawhite”
UFC France bout 2022 : Did it turn ugly?
The former heavyweight champion is furious because of his personal UFC 256 encounter with Ciryl Gane. “Bon Gamin” was able to finish dos Santos after landing an elbow on the back of his skull. Cigano appealed the stoppage right away, but the referee seemed unimpressed.
The UFC’s first-ever French main event did not dissapoint. For the fervent spectators, Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa’s tremendous exhibition of tenacity and relentless striking was a magnificent spectacle.
The action between the two heavyweights heated up in the second round after a lacklustre first one. Although ‘Bam Bam’ managed to take Gane down, he was unable to kill him. After recuperating, Gane resumed the fight with Tuivasa.
The fight proved to be the Brazilian’s last in the UFC. The fighter’s team has filed an appeal with the Nevada State Athletic Commission to overturn the result to a no-contest or disqualification but is yet to find closure on the matter.
Tai Tuivasa and Ciryl Gane gave it their all in a thrilling fight but did not seem to lose out on their camaraderie.
“Honestly, Tai hit me so hard he knocked me out. He put the lights out,” Gane said through an interpreter. “I fell down, but I had to be a warrior. I got up … and I came back even stronger.”