UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ 67 Predictions: Ciryl Gane vs Tai Tuivasa Best Bets, Odds and Picks

It seems that just yesterday UFC matchmakers gave Tai Tuivasa a second chance after being fired from the promotion, and today he is already on a streak of 5 knockout wins in a row. At the UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ 67 in Paris, he will face Ciryl Gane, a former heavyweight title contender. If Tuivasa knocks him out as well, he will definitely become the next contender for Francis Ngannou.

UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ 67 Main Event Predictions

Ciryl Gane Preview

Ciryl is a 32-year-old fighter from France. He entered the UFC as an undefeated fighter in 2019 and defeated Raphael Pessoa via submission in his debut. After this confident victory, he went on a series of 6 victories in a row.

The undefeated Frenchman, who declassed all opponents in the UFC, became the main contender for the belt. He faced the champion, Francis Ngannou, in January 2022. Gane was the favorite but unexpectedly lost to the title holder via unanimous decision. This was Ciryl's last performance.

Gane is a basic kickboxer. In addition to perfected technique, he has impressive speed, footwork, and endurance for the heavyweight division. Due to these qualities, he seriously outplays his opponents in the standing position. I would like to note the fighter's well-placed defense against takedowns. Only Francis Ngannou, thanks to a serious superiority in physical strength, could transfer him to the ground and keep him there.

Gane has no knockout power. He got all the finishes after the middle of the match when he scored tired opponents. Ciryl prefers to drive opponents around the octagon with a couple of simple combinations. A tech-savvy boxer will be able to read it and adapt effectively.

Tai Tuivasa Preview

Tai is a 29-year-old fighter from Australia. He made his UFC debut in 2017 against Rashad Coulter, whom he knocked out in the 1st round. Tuivasa immediately went on a 3 win streak in a row and was considered one of the top heavyweight prospects of 2018. But in December he was knocked out by Junior dos Santos.

After losing to DDS, Tuivasa went on a 3-fight losing streak and was fired from the UFC in 2020. But that year, a pandemic raged, the fighters refused to compete during a dangerous period for health, and the matchmakers decided to give Tai a 2nd chance. He returned to the octagon in October of that year and immediately went on a series of 5 early victories in a row:

• Stefan Struve – victory by knockout in the 1st round;
• Harry Hansucker – 1st round KO
• Greg Hardy – 1st round knockout
• Augusto Sakai – 2nd round knockout
• Derrick Lewis – KO in the 2nd round.

Tai is a basic kickboxer and prefers to fight in a standing position. He has amazingly high speed for a heavyweight, knockout power, and aggressive pressure. The fighter works well in the clinch. He pins opponents at the net and controls them with physical strength.

Tuivasa has zero wrestling skills. Sergey Spivak and Blagoy Ivanov confidently controlled him on the canvas, dominated him, and didn't let him do anything.

Gane vs Tuivasa Prediction

Ciryl Gan will keep Tuivasa at bay by shooting him with jabs and straights and controlling the distance with body types. Speed, technical advantage, and 10 cm reach advantage will help him in this. So he will sting Tuivasa with simple combinations and exhaust him.

Tai is not distinguished by impressive cardio. This is a 2 – 2.5 round fighter, but in a fight against technical fighters, his stamina is spent even more. So, in 2018, he not only failed to quickly knock out 34-year-old Junior dos Santos, who at that time did not have an iron grip and seriously slowed down in speed but also ended up in a knockout in the 2nd round.

Roughly the same thing can happen in this fight. The damage the Aussie will take will seriously burn his cardio. And towards the end of the 2nd round or in the 3rd Ciryl will understand that it is time to end the fight and finish the dangerous knockout, as he did in the fight with Lewis.

But you can't write off Tai Tuivasa. Don't be fooled by his appearance. The fighter with a height of 188 cm weighs just over 120 kg. But at the same time, he is incredibly fast for his size. With lightning-fast cannon strikes in 2 years, he stunned five rivals who underestimated Tai's speed skills. If he manages to get close to Gan by forcing him with aggressive exchanges, then he could potentially knock him out too. We expect this fight to be at least three rounds but definitely less than 5 and potentially less than 4.

Co-Main Event – Robert Whittaker vs Marvin Vettori (Middleweight Bout)

The number one and number two contenders in the Middleweight division will face off in the co-main event of the evening and will determine the next contender for the title. Here are some additional predictions from the full card of UFC Fight Night 209.

Robert Whittaker Preview

Whittaker's base is karate. Thanks to his background in this martial art, he is most dangerous on his feet. Robert competently works at a distance and relies on speed, timing, and a sense of rhythm.

After a difficult dilogy with Romero and a knockout from Adesanya, the pragmatic Australian became even more cautious. Whittaker carefully shoots an opponent at a convenient distance and forces things only if he is sure that he is as close to the finish line as possible.

The Aussie has good takedown defense. Robert blocks 84% ​​of his opponent's attempts to transfer him. I note the good endurance of the fighter. He can effectively fight for 5 rounds.

Marvin Vettori Preview

Marvin is a wrestler. He is good with takedowns, tenaciously controls opponents, can work effectively in ground and pound, and has a wide arsenal of submissions. In the stance, the fighter relies on physical strength. He is not afraid to make trades and often deals more damage to his opponent than he receives in return.

But the aggressiveness does not always play into the hands of Marvin. Due to the lowering of his arms and receiving a huge number of punches in the jaw, he may look worse than his opponent in the eyes of the judges and lose on points.

Whittaker vs Vettori Prediction – Vettori To Win

Marvin will constantly go forward and Robert will not be able to stop him. Yes, the Italian is straightforward and predictable and will run into sharp jabs and straight lines from the former champion. Yes, Marvin's punches are slow, but he hits powerfully and accurately. But I don't think Whittaker's counterattacks will have a serious stopping effect.

If the Italian succeeds in imposing aggressive pressure on the opponent, then he will make Robert suffer. This will lead to the fact that Marvin will be able to pinch the opponent at the net. There, he will not only cause damage to the opponent’s jaw but will also be able to hold him in the clinch to take a breath and score extra points.