UFC Fight Night 226: Ciryl Gane vs Serghei Spivac 09/02/2023 Fight Picks, Predictions and Preview

UFC Fight Night 226: Gane vs Spivac 09/02/2023 – The Ultimate Fighting Championship goes to France on Saturday, September 2, as former interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane squares off with Serghei Spivac in the main event of UFC Fight Night 226. The match will take place at the Accor Arena in Paris with ESPN+ airing the main card on live television for US audiences. On the other hand TNT Sports will broadcast the showdown for fans in the United Kingdom. The fight is also available for Internet subscribers via the UFC Fight Pass. Gane comes back to the octagon five months after losing his UFC heavyweight title bid against Jon Jones.

However, the Frenchman’s return to the championship stage will not be handed on a silver platter as he has to earn it against Serghei Spivac of Moldova. Spivac, ranked seventh in the heavyweight rankings, is on a three-fight winning streak and winning against a top contender like Gane will definitely boost his stock and possibly put him closer to a much-awaited title fight. Initial MMA fight odds place Gane as the favorite to emerge victorious over Spivac despite losing two of his last three fights.

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Main Card

Ciryl Gane

Gane (11-2, 8-2 UFC) comes back to the octagon after absorbing a one-round submission defeat to Jon Jones for the vacant UFC heavyweight championship. The Frenchman looks to return to the winning column to help his journey back to contention in the heavyweight ranks. After going undefeated in his first 10 fights, Gane lost two of his next three to Jones and former heavyweight king Francis Ngannou. “Bon Gamin” will have to get his act together and beat the streaking Spivac if he wants to gain another title opportunity. He will come into the fight with a three-inch reach advantage that he can use in his striking attempts.

Gane has registered eight finishes (five knockouts and three submissions) in his career. He has landed an average of 5.08 significant strikes per minute and has connected on 59% of his striking attempts. The Frenchman is also excellent in defending strikes, as he has stopped 62% of the attempts against him. His excellent defense has helped him absorb an average of 2.25 strikes per minute. Due to his stand-up style, Gane rarely attempts takedowns, as evidenced by his 0.61 takedowns per 15 minutes average. His takedown accuracy is low for heavyweights at 21% so as his takedown defense at 45%. Likewise, he is not known for submitting opponents, connecting just 0.51 submissions per 15 minutes.

Serghei Spivac

Spivac (16-3, 7-3 UFC) has been impressive in his last seven assignments, winning six of them. The winning streak has helped him climb to seventh in the updated heavyweight contender’s rankings. The former WWFC heavyweight champion has finished his last three opponents and his last bout against Derrick Lewis ended with Spivac scoring a one-round arm triangle choke submission. That merited him a Performance of the Night post-fight bonus and set him up to a showdown against Gane. The Moldova-born fighter looks to surprise the French No2 heavyweight contender and move further up the rankings for a possible title shot in the future.

Spivac has recorded 14 finishes (7 KOs and 7 submissions) in his eight-year mixed martial arts career. He has not been submitted by any opponent but has been knocked out twice. The No7 contender is excellent in grappling with an average of 5.05 takedowns per 15 minutes and has a takedown accuracy rate of 65%. Spivac has stopped 70% of his opponents’ takedowns and has a submission average of 0.56 per 15 minutes. He is also good in striking as he has averaged 3.59 significant strikes per minute and his accuracy percentage is 51%. He has absorbed 2.84 strikes per minute and has successfully defended 55% of the strikes against him.