The heavyweight division is brimming with talent right now. There are several extremely talented fighters who are riding impressive win streaks and can make excellent cases for a title shot. The same was the case this weekend as the seventh-ranked Ciryl Gane took on the fourth-ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Vegas 20.
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Gane went into the fight as an undefeated fighter with a record of 7-0; four of those wins came in the UFC. Rozenstruik went into the fight on the back of an impressive second-round stoppage win over Junior Dos Santos in his previous outing.
Ciryl Gane continued to impress as he put on a smart fight. Upon recognizing that Rozenstruik had the ability to close the fight with one punch, Gane stayed on the outside and picked ‘Bigi Boy’ apart. He secured a unanimous decision victory over the Surinamese fighter, maintained his unbeaten streak, and is set to rise in the UFC rankings.
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Twitter reacts as Ciryl Gane maintains his unbeaten streak
When two heavyweights collide, the fight can get over in the blink of an eye.
Zero chance I’m sitting down for this fight #UFCVegas20
— Ian Parker (@IanParkerMMA) February 28, 2021
Yogan Decastro took to Twitter to appreciate his fellow heavyweights.
Heavyweights 💣💣💣💣
— Yorgan Decastro (@DecastroYorgan) February 28, 2021
Middleweight, Derek Brunson, took to Twitter to hype up the main-event fight.
Here we go main event . The evolution of some new era heavyweights. Gane is a physicals specimen. BiGi Boy ain’t no joke and has the experience . Man I don’t know ! #UFCVegas20
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) February 28, 2021
‘The Predator’ took to Twitter to cheer on the two men in the main event.
Let's gooooo 🔥🔥🔥#UFCVegas20
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) February 28, 2021
Rob Tatum scored the first round for the Frenchman.
10-9 Gane. Largely a feeling-out process in round one. The Frenchman with a late takedown to seal it. #UFCVegas20
— Rob Tatum (@RobTatum303) February 28, 2021
Sean Sheehan also scored the first round for ‘Bon Gamin’ Ciryl Gane.
10-9 Gane in round 1. Landed more strikes throughout the round but Rozenstruik looks dangerous! #UFCVegas20
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) February 28, 2021
Rob Tatum felt that Gane also won the second round, scoring the fight 20-18 after two rounds.
20-18 Gane. He's just a step ahead of Rozenstruik in the striking exchanges. #UFCVegas20
— Rob Tatum (@RobTatum303) February 28, 2021
Ryan Frederick also scored the first two rounds to ‘Bon Gamin’.
20-18 Gane after two #UFCVegas20
— Ryan Frederick (@ryanjfrederick) February 28, 2021
Brett Okamoto of ESPN also gave the first two rounds to Gane.
2-0 Ciryl Gane. Still 15 minutes to go. I'm expecting a more aggressive Jairzinho Rozenstruik at some point, but we'll see. KO is always a threat but he hasn't given Gane much to think about through two rounds.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 28, 2021
Sheehan had Gane winning the first three rounds.
30-27 Gane. Winning this from the outside. #UFCVegas20
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) February 28, 2021
The main event was an extremely technical fight, which meant that there was no jaw-dropping knockout or reckless brawls which was sure to draw criticism. One fan was not appreciative of the same.
Stop apologizing for smart fighting.#UFCVegas20
— Dusty Andrews (@Fight_Expert) February 28, 2021
A fan took to Twitter to criticize the main event of the night and compared it to the underwhelming Francis Ngannou vs Derrick Lewis fight.
God damn it, it's like Lewis vs. Ngannou again.
The worst part, it's 5 rounds. I don't care who won but somebody lit the room please.#UFC #UFCVegas20 pic.twitter.com/F1ejEbO9to
— infamous (@inFAMOUSsassin) February 28, 2021
Light heavyweight legend, Jon Jones, issued a warning to the heavyweight division ahead of his imminent debut.
These boys better get used to pushing the pace, all this standing around ain’t gonna fly when daddy comes home. #ufcvegas20
— BONY (@JonnyBones) February 28, 2021
Ariel Helwani played matchmaker as he suggested Volkov, or Lewis should be next to test Gane.
Cyril Gane def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via UD (50-45 x 3).
I’d like to see him fight Lewis or Volkov next.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 28, 2021
What did you make of Ciryl Gane’s performance tonight? Who do you think he should fight next?