MMA Preview – Ciryl Gane vs Sergey Spivak at UFC Fight Night 226
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CIRYL GANE VS SERGEY SPIVAK FACTS
When is UFC Paris? Saturday 2nd September, 2023 - 18:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Paris? Accor Arena, Paris (France)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Paris? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Paris on? TNT Sports 2
Where can I stream UFC Paris? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
CIRYL GANE VS SERGEY SPIVAK LOWDOWN
Ciryl Gane (11-2) has suffered his only two losses in his last three which were title fights. Although he was humbled, they will serve as valuable lessons. His first title shot was against Francis Ngannou (2022) who surprised everyone with a wrestling strategy to blunt Gane’s weapons and grind out a unanimous decision. Gane replied by putting on a striking clinic against Tai Tuivasa (2022), however that let him into the path of Jon Jones (2023) for the vacant title. Predictably, Jones exploited the holes in his game and wasted no time in taking him down and submitting him, making it look easy.
Sergey Spivak (16-3) heads to Paris to prevent Gane rebuilding some momentum. He is in the form of his life responding his battering dished out by Tom Aspinall (2021). That knockout is his only loss in his last seven and since then, he TKO’d Greg Hardy (2022) and Augusto Sakai (2022) before collecting his biggest scalp to date, submitting Derrick Lewis (2023) in the first round.
CIRYL GANE VS SERGEY SPIVAK PREDICTION
This is a step-down in competition for Gane, but still a very tough fight as Spivak possesses the tools to exploit his weaknesses. The Moldovan is well-rounded, but if Gane has not worked on his takedown defence, Spivak will be able to dump him on his back.
Spivak is in fine fettle although this is also a big step-up in competition for him. Gane is a different level on the feet and he will be able to pick him apart at will. He will boast a slight height and reach advantage, but it is his speed and movement that will allow him to land his varied attacks and combinations.
He will stay light on his feet and keep circling so Spivak cannot grab a hold of him. He will maintain the distance and hop in with sniping blows in the form of his jab and kicks down the middle while setting up his powerful kicks to the body and dome.
Spivak will be well aware of this and be prepared to walk into fire. He knows he just needs to grab a leg and secure one takedown backing his strength to maintain top control. Lewis was more of a knockout threat, but he was able to take him down six times before submitting him.
However, the difference here is Gane’s speed and distance control. He kicks in particular can do real damage as Spivak closes the distance. We expect Spivak to take Gane down, but we are backing the Frenchman to be able to get back to his feet and create enough space to inflict the fight-winning damage.
Prediction: Gane via KO/TKO
Value bet: Spivak to win
