At UFC 265 this weekend, slick technician Ciryl ‘Bon Gamin’ Gane (9-0-0) will face heavyweight body snatcher Derrick ‘The Black Beast’ Lewis (25-7-0-1).
This weekend, UFC 265 features a stellar line-up of bouts. Headlining the programme is the perplexing French boxer Ciyrl Gane, who pits his wits against the guy wielding explosives, Derrick Lewis. The battle is for the UFC interim heavyweight championship, and the winner will face the UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, soon.
In this article, we’ll go over the combatants and how they measure up against one another, as well as our prediction for the fight’s outcome and betting odds.
UFC 265 Gane vs. Lewis: Fight overview
In the UFC’s heavyweight class, we seldom witness such an exciting fight. Ciryl Gane is a terrific technical heavyweight with exceptional stand-up and an outstanding ground game, but there are concerns about his ability to handle bigger opponents.
Gane’s uncertainty followed him into his battles with Rozenstruik and Volkov, and while he won both with ease, it has followed him into this fight as well. Derrick Lewis, a heavyweight head-hunter famous for his resilience, tremendous power, and remarkable ability to turn bouts on their heads, will be his toughest test to date.
Lewis’ bouts have always had an air of unpredictability about them. On several instances, Lewis has faced competitors with better skill, only to apply pressure, overcome adversity, and win by stunning knockout. Any heavyweight wanting to fight him should be wary of the power he carries in his hands.
In this encounter, we observe two key differences: one is Lewis’s experience advantage over Gane, and the other is Gane’s superior quality of striking compared to Lewis.
UFC 265 Gane vs. Lewis: Fight analysis
Gane, like Jon Jones, is an outside fighter who relies primarily on leg strikes. Gane like to attack with rapid, efficient leg kicks and body blows, occasionally alternating with roundhouse kicks to the torso or feints to set up body and head attacks.
Gane is a Muay Thai fighter who excels in the clinch, whether it’s for clinch striking or position control. With the benefit of being the bigger guy, we may anticipate Gane initiating the clinch to counter Lewis’ blitz style of striking. In this situation, Lewis would be the stronger man, but Gane’s better technique has proved to tame the might of stronger opponents in the past. Gane’s style creates problems for Lewis. Gane doesn’t take risks, doesn’t overextend, and his method of fighting punishes forward-moving pressure fighters like Lewis with long-range low kicks and round kicks.
Lewis, as we’ve seen, prefers to plant his lead leg deep in his opponent’s guard to build up massive knockout punches. This may be difficult for him to achieve against someone like Gane, who will balance out the forward pressure with his frequent kicks.
Lewis has also shown vulnerability to midsection attacks, evident in his fights with Travis Browne when shots to the body visibly hurt Lewis, and his most recent loss to Junior Dos Santos (who Gane has since dispatched), where a devastating body shot contributed to his defeat. Gane loves to set up that spectacular left roundhouse to the liver, and we fully anticipate Gane punishing Lewis with these kicks on the night.
UFC 265: Ciryl Gane vs. Derrick Lewis – Conclusion & prediction
UFC 265’s main event is going to be a tense fight; Lewis holds the power to shut the lights off of any heavyweight fighter on the UFC roster, even late into the championship rounds like he did with Volkov. He will retain this puncher’s chance as long as the fight continues. The consensus is that if Lewis wins, it’s going to be by KO.
We believe Gane will stay at range, nullifying Lewis’ forward pressure with kicks, and will punish a fading Black Beast with shots to the body as the fight proceeds. We also expect Gane to initiate clinch exchanges to subdue blitz attempts from Lewis. Gane won’t get sloppy as the fight goes on, as we’ve seen in his fight with Volkov.
Ultimately, Gane wins with pressure and punishment. He won’t expose himself to Lewis’ bombs. Gane will punish Lewis’ plodding style with long-range kicks and will cancel out Lewis’ puncher’s chance with clinchwork against the fence.
Gane cruises to an easy UD, akin to his fights with Rozenstruik and Volkov. But don’t be surprised if Gane finishes Lewis with bodywork.
Prediction: Ciryl Gane via. Unanimous Decision
UFC 265 Gane vs. Lewis: Betting odds
Gane is the favourite to win the fight outright, per Oddschecker, with odds as high as -400 and as low as -300, making Gane a heavy favourite to win. With the best odds, if you bet $100, you’d receive $128.
Lewis is a live underdog with odds as high as +300 and as low as +275. With the best odds, if you bet $100, you would receive $400. With the knockout power, Lewis has, these odds should be very enticing.
Who do you expect to take the interim heavyweight strap this weekend at UFC 265? Comment below!
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