UFC Paris: Ciryl Gane knocks out Tai Tuivasa in front of hometown fans (Video)

UFC Paris: Ciryl Gane defeated Tai Tuivasa.

Ciryl Gane defeated Tai Tuivasa via KO (strikes), Round 3 – 4:23 at UFC Paris on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, live from the Accor Arena In Paris, France.

“No words. Just listen to that. No one in the world expected this from the fans in France… Obviously, Tai hit me so hard, that he knocked me out. I had to get up. I had to be a warrior… I want the belt. I want that belt.” said Gane, who did the interview in both English and French. Gane took time to thank the French crowd in French repeatedly.

“Thank you, Paris. It wasn’t my day. I came to fight,” said Tuivasa after he was given the mic by Gane.

UFC Paris: Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa: Round-by-round recap

Tuivasa came across the Octagon to open the fight. Gane attacked with several leg kicks. Tuivasa landed a powerful leg kick. Gane landed a kick to the body and a quick right hand. The crowd was incredible throughout the first round, singing and chanting. Tuivasa missed several powerful punches. Gane continued to use his speed advantage landing kicks and punches.

The two fighters continued to circle each other around the Octagon. Gane respected Tuivasa’s power and would quickly dart in and out of dangerous areas. Tuivasa appeared frustrated that he could not land a clean shot. Gane shot for a takedown but quickly abandoned his attempt. Out of nowhere, Tuivasa landed a right hand that dropped Gane and looked like it was going to end the fight. Gane was able to return to his feet and get out of danger. Gane then caught Tuivasa with two body kicks and hurt him badly with a knee and combination. Both fighters survived the round.

The third round started with both men trading kicks. Gane continued to throw and move as he looked to wear Tuivasa out. Gane landed a powerful body kick and landed a trio of jabs. Gane continued the assault, landing again with a head kick that Tuivasa appeared to wobbled by before throwing a massive shot. Gane attacked but ate a big shot from Tuivasa. The Australian’s face was starting to get marked up with heavy red marks under his right eye and a cut under his left. Gane continued to attack the body with a trio of leg kicks. After landing a body kick. Gane landed a powerful overhand right. Gane landed an uppercut to the chin of Tuivasa that hurt the Australian. Gane chased down Tuivasa and dropped him after landing two more powerful punches. The French heavyweight jumped on top of Tuivasa and landed a flurry of strikes and hammer fists that forced Marc Goddard to stop the fight. The crowd exploded with cheers and started chanting for their countryman.

Gane entered as the top-ranked heavyweight contender. The French fighter lost his last fight to UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. With the victory, Gane improved to 11-1 with eight finishes. Gane will likely get a rematch with Ngannou whenever the champion is ready to fight again and resolves his contract issues.

Tuivasa was at a career crossroads when he entered UFC 254. The Australian fighter had won his first three UFC fights before losing three straight ahead of his fight against Stefan Struve at UFC 254. Tuivasa knocked out Struve on way to winning five straight fights by way of knockout. The knockout victory streak helped Tuivasa climb to third in the heavyweight rankings. Tuivasa dropped to 14-4 following the loss and will have to prove he can bounce back from a loss again.

UFC Paris: Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa took place on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, live from the Accor Arena In Paris, France. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.