UFC Paris Gets a Main Event: Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa

After decades of MMA being banned in France, in no small part to the French Judo Association lobbying against it, the sport was finally legalized in 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that it has been almost impossible for any promotion to hold fights there.

Until now, that is. Next week, Bellator Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader will defend his title against Cheick Kongo, with Yoel Romero facing off against Alex Polizzi in the Co-Main Event at the AccorHotels Arena on the banks of the Seine.

And now, thanks to Ariel Helwani and Al Zullino, we have a date and main event for the UFC’s first card in France.

The Fight Night will be held on September 3rd and headlined by former Interim Heavyweight Champ and #1 Ranked Contender Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa, who finds himself with a #3 Ranking next to his name after a five fight KO/TKO streak. With the most recent coming against the Knockout King of the UFC, Derrick Lewis, in Lewis’ hometown of Houston at UFC 271.

Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa Opening Odds

The LHW and HW Divisions are absolutely packed with European talent right now, with Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall, Alexander Gustafsson vs. Nikita Krylov, and Paul Craig all being linked to appear at UFC London 2 on July 23rd, so keep your ears and eyes open for more MMA news surrounding the events

As reported by Chamatkar Sandhu, the odds opened with Gane as a -300 favorite, and in 16 minutes had moved to a huge -500, while Tuivasa has moved from +250 to +385.

This is likely to be due to the perceived home team advantage of Gane, but something has to be said for the momentum of Tuivasa. The man seems unstoppable, the crowds adore him and his beer-drank-from-a-shoe-antics, and he has proven that he can swang an’ bang with the heaviest hitters in the UFC, so why do the bookies see him so palely compared to Gane?

Tuivasa’s only deficiency is on the ground, where Gane is no slouch, but also no master. And Tuivasa’s chin is made of granite. Gane’s current state of mind is also in question, having been almost completely silent since his defeat to Ngannou in January.

We have seen time and time again undefeated fighters who simply never recover from that first defeat. The biggest question is how Tuivasa’s conditioning will hold up if the fight makes it outside of the second round, having not reached the third round in three years. Either way, this is guaranteed to be an absolutely bonkers Main Event in The City of Light.

Featured Image Credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images