Referee Herb Dean (C) raises Ciryl Gane's (R) hand following his 50-45 unanimous decision victory over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the heavyweight main event of UFC Vegas: Rozenstruik vs. Gane at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., February 27, 2021. /Zuffa
It's well known that in football (both kinds), players and managers spend hours and hours studying tape of opponents. That's why it was something of a surprise when Conor McGregor said he'd never seen or prepared for calf kicks following his loss to Dustin Poirier; it raised a question in the MMA community about how much of the sport the athletes actually watch.
That answer is apparently not much. A lot of guys don't, certain guys do – and based on his performance at UFC Vegas: Rozenstruik vs. Gane, ranked heavyweight Ciryl Gane has at least watched the past month of fights.
Two weeks ago, Alexander Volkov swarmed Alastair Overeem with kickboxing and knocked him out. Last week, Derrick Lewis sent Curtis Blaydes to hell with one nuclear bomb uppercut. This week, France's undefeated 7-0 Gane was taking on 11-1 Jairzinho Rozenstruik, a knockout artist whose only loss was a 20-second surprise KO against top-ranked Francis Ngannou at UFC 249 on May 9, 2020.
Ciryl Gane (R) uses a long straight punch against opponent Jairzinho Rozernstruik during the heavyweight main event of UFC Vegas: Rozenstruik vs. Gane at the UFC Apex facility, February 27, 2021. /Zuffa
It looked like a trend was emerging and Gane, from the opening bell, didn't want to be the latest fashion victim. Rozenstruik had already given a conspicuously hard pre-fight fist bump so Gane had a taste of how heavy his opponent's hands could be.
Gane began as a Muay Thai fighter in his native France and treated this like a Thai boxing fight. Bouncing on the balls of his feet like Street Fighter's Sagat, he spent all of the first-round feinting, finding range and testing Rozenstruik with jabs and front kicks. Rozenstruik didn't get the memo; he alternated between waiting for Gone to engage and engaging first with his trademark kickboxing.
When these combinations started to hurt, Gane closed the range and grappled Rozenstruik on the cage. As with his early striking, this didn't seem to be done to cause damage, it was to hold his rival in place and lean on him to tire him out.
From as early as the second round, this took effect. Gane stopped looking for his range and started launching his own quick combinations. The Muay Thai stance made Gane so much more maneuverable than Rozenstruik and, more importantly, neutralized his ability to land a knockout blow.
Ciryl Gane celebrates after the final round against Jairzinho Rozernstruik during the heavyweight main event of UFC Vegas: Rozenstruik vs. Gane at the UFC Apex facility, February 27, 2021. /Zuffa
At time this fight resembled an Olympic point fighting contest rather than an MMA bout and referee Herb Dean could be heard occasionally telling the men in the Octagon to pick up the pace. The commentators, particularly ex-fighters Paul Felder and Michael Bisping, were more aware of Gane's tactical intentions. They were also rightly critical of Rozenstruik and his team's inability to come up with a plan B. He came to stand and bang against a man who couldn't have been less interested.
Gane fought incredibly smart for five rounds against one of the UFC's most brutal fighters and ultimately won a 50-45 unanimous decision. According to UFCstats.com, Rozenstruik attempted only 104 strikes and landed 42 – only in Round 3 did he land more than 10. In the post-fight interview Gane didn't have a blemish on him.
In a division full of monsters, 8-0 Gane's refusal to play their game makes him one of the most unique, if not deadly, contenders for champion Stipe Miocic's belt.