Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa

Robert Whittaker of Australia reacts after his victory over Kelvin Gastelum in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX

To Get You Ready For UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa, We Break Down The Entire UFC Paris Card Top To Bottom

By Thomas Gerbasi, on Twitter @TGerbasi • Aug. 29, 2022

Over the years, 163 cities in 27 different countries have played host to a UFC event… and you can now add Paris, France to that list.

After long being banned across the nation, mixed martial arts was legalized in France in 2020 after the French National Olympic and Sports Committee signed off on the Ministry of Sport including MMA under the jurisdiction of the French Boxing Federation, and in the two years since, the sport has continued to gain traction and momentum.

Don't Miss Any UFC Paris

There were already quality fighters coming out of the country, but now they have the opportunity to compete at home, and this weekend, several of the nation’s top competitors will get the chance to do so inside the UFC Octagon.

C’est une occasion véritablement historique et devrait constituer un évé!nement passionnant samedi a l’Accor Arena.

Et maintenant… les combats!

Ciryl Gane vs Tai Tuivasa

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Heavyweights headline the UFC’s debut journey to Paris as France’s own Ciryl Gane squares off with surging Australian Tai Tuivasa.

Gane suffered the first loss of his career at the start of the year, landing on the wrong side of the scorecards in a championship unification bout against Francis Ngannou at UFC 270. Prior to that, the 32-year-old “Bon Gamin” (“Good Kid”) produced 10 consecutive victories, including stoppages over Junior Dos Santos and Derrick Lewis, winning the interim title with the latter of those two.

Tuivasa has been on fire since returning from a one-year sabbatical in October 2020, rattling off five straight stoppage wins to climb into title contention. He closed out last year with consecutive Performance of the Night bonuses for wins over Greg Hardy and Augusto Sakai, and picked up where he left off in his first start of this year, finishing Lewis in the second round of their clash at UFC 271 to bring home another bonus.

Things at the top of the heavyweight ranks are a little jumbled at the moment, so it’s hard to say what would come next for the winner of this one. That being said, whoever does emerge victorious would be unquestionably be in the thick of the title chase, making this a high-stakes affair to end the UFC’s initial fight card in Paris.

Robert Whittaker vs Marvin Vettori

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Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori have each lost to Israel Adesanya twice. They meet on Saturday to determine which one of them falls in line immediately behind the dominant champion and which one lands even further back in the pecking order.

Whittaker has been perfect at middleweight save for his two entanglements with “The Last Stylebender,” winning 11 consecutive fights against everyone else. He made a number of sharp adjustments in the second bout with Adesanya back in February, proving he’s not too far behind the champion, but now has the unenviable task of being forced to work through a long line of dangerous foes in order to potentially get back to another championship opportunity.

The same is true for Vettori over the last five years, as the Italian has gone 7-0-1 in nine fights outside of his twin decision losses to the champ. He rebounded nicely from his UFC 263 defeat at the hands of Adesanya with a dominant win over Paulo Costa, and can establish himself as the clear “silver medalist” in the 185-pound weight class by taking out Whittaker this weekend.

Will Whittaker continue to stand as the clear No. 2 in the middleweight division or will Vettori add a second straight victory to his resume and claim the position for himself?

Alessio Di Chirico vs Roman Kopylov

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European middleweights Alessio Di Chirico and Roman Kopylov meet in Paris, each man looking to get things moving in the right direction.

It’s been a rough couple years for Di Chirico, who enters Saturday’s contest with just a single victory in his last five outings. The proud Italian started 2021 with a first-round head kick knockout of Joaquin Buckley, but then was on the receiving end of a similar finish eight months later in a bout against Abdul Razak Alhassan.

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Kopylov actually filled in for Di Chirico in his last assignment, jumping in against Albert Duraev at UFC 267 and landing on the wrong side of a unanimous decision result. After beginning his career with eight straight victories, the Russian has now dropped consecutive contests, and enters this weekend’s fracas still searching for his first UFC victory.

Neither man can afford another setback, so expect these two to be throwing with malicious intent from the word “Go!” this weekend at Accor Arena.

John Makdessi vs Nasrat Haqparast

(L-R) John Makdessi of Canada punches Ignacio Bahamondes of Chile in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

First slated to face one another in March 2019, John Makdessi and Nasrat Haqparast will finally share the Octagon together this weekend.

The Canadian veteran Makdessi arrives in Paris off a split decision victory over Ignacio Bahamondes last April. “The Bull” has won four of his last five dating back to the end of 2017, and remains a dangerous, technical striker, even in his 15th year as a professional fighter.

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Haqparast has been tabbed as a future contender in the past, and while he’s amassed a 5-4 record in the UFC and went 5-1 following his short-notice debut loss, the 27-year-old has stumbled and needs to right the ship here.

Can Makdessi turn back another fighter a decade his junior or will Haqparast get back into the win column in hopes of making a run towards the rankings in the lightweight division?

Khalid Taha vs Cristian Quiñonez

Khalid Taha of Germany celebrates after his submission victory over Bruno Silva of Brazil in their bantamweight fight during the UFC 243 event at Marvel Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Khalid Taha and Cristian Quiñonez meet in a clash between bantamweights with very different levels of experience inside the UFC Octagon.

The 30-year-old Taha returns for the first time in more than a year, looking to snap a three-fight run without a victory. He’s 1-3 with one no contest in five UFC starts after going 12-1 prior to arriving on the big stage, and needs to show that he is still capable of competing at this level after another lengthy stretch between appearances and more than three years after his last victory.

Quiñonez was originally slated to make his promotional debut in mid-August, but visa issues forced him out of his bout with Youssef Zalal. He jumped at the chance to replace the injured Taylor Lapilus here, and looks to build on the four-fight winning streak that is capped by his contract-winning effort last season on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Taha is a tank of a man with good power for the division, while the 26-year-old Quiñonez is always game to throw down, which means it’s likely to be non-stop action from the moment this one gets underway this weekend.

Charles Jourdain vs Nathaniel Wood

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Banger Alert! Sounds the klaxons — this is a Banger Alert!

French-Canadian featherweight Charles Jourdain was hoping to compete in Paris, and he gets his wish courtesy of this blistering matchup with Great Britain’s Nathaniel Wood.

Jourdain has risen to prominence over his last three fights, closing out 2021 with a “Spartan kick” highlight against Andre Ewell before submitting Lando Vannata in the first round and battling Shane Burgos to a majority decision last time out on Long Island. The 26-year-old is coming into his own and loves to compete, and could very well replace Burgos as an all-action talent in the 11-20 range in the featherweight division.

After nearly two years away and a career spent at bantamweight, Wood returned in July and competed at featherweight, collecting a unanimous decision win over Charles Rosa. He looked sharp with his weapons and like a quality fit for the division from a physical standpoint following years of taxing his body to make the 135-pound weight limit.

You never want to make promises about how a fight is going to play out because who knows what could happen, but I will say this: it would be a complete shock to me if this one isn’t electric for as long as it lasts because these two just love to bring it and should put on a helluva show on Saturday.

Dustin Stotlzfus vs Abus Magomedov

(L-R) Dustin Stoltzfus takes down Dwight Grant in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UBS Arena on July 16, 2022 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Middleweights based in Germany meet this weekend in Paris as Dustin Stoltzfus welcomes Abus Magomedov to the UFC for the first time.

Stoltzfus garnered praise from Dana White for his Contender Series victory in Season 4, but the Pennsylvania-born grappler struggled with tough matchups out of the gate. Following consecutive losses to Kyle Daukaus, Rodolfo Vieira, and Gerald Meerschaert, the 30-year-old finally broke through with a unanimous decision win over Dwight Grant last time out.

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After a couple instances where he was forced to withdraw from scheduled bouts, Magomedov will finally make his first appearance in the Octagon on Saturday. The 31-year-old carries a 24-4-1 record that includes wins over Jessin Ayari and Danilo Villefort, but he hasn’t fought since the end of 2020, so it will be interesting to see how the time away impacts him.

Will Stoltzfus make it two straight and establish himself as the best UFC middleweight in Germany or will Magomedov earn a victory in his debut to extend his winning streak to three?

Fares Ziam vs Michal Figlak

Fares Ziam of France reacts after his decision victory over Luigi Vendramini of Brazil in their lightweight fight during the UFC 263 event at Gila River Arena on June 12, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

French lightweight Fares Ziam gets the opportunity to compete in his home nation on Saturday, facing off with UFC newcomer Michal Figlak on Saturday’s prelims.

Ziam, who is from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, has gone 2-2 in his first four UFC appearances, sandwiching wins over Jamie Mullarkey and Luigi Vendramini between losses to Don Madge and Terrance McKinney. Tall for the division and still just 25 years old, “Smile Killer” would like nothing more than to get back into the win column with a win on French soil this weekend.

Unbeaten in eight professional appearances and coming off a unanimous decision win over former Cage Warriors champ Agy Sardari, the 26-year-old Figlak is another talented Polish prospect to watch in the UFC. Training out of Gloucester, England, Figlak has fought on good slate on his way to the UFC and shown an ability to battle hard for 15 minutes, which should serve him well both Saturday and in the future.

This is an excellent matchup between talented fighters in their mid-20s looking to establish themselves in the talent-rich 155-pound weight class. It should be a good measuring stick of where each currently stands and a chance to get a better understanding of how they may progress over the next couple years.

Stephanie Egger vs Ailin Perez

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Stephanie Egger moves up a division as a short-notice replacement, hustling back into the Octagon to face newcomer Ailin Perez in Paris.

The Swiss judoka competed on August 6 in Las Vegas, suffering a first-round submission loss to Mayra Bueno Silva to kick of the night where every bout ended inside the distance. The loss, which she didn’t acknowledge when the bout finished in confusing fashion, snapped a two-fight winning streak, and now the veteran looks to hastily get things moving in the right direction again by filling in for Zarah Fairn and facing Perez.

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A confident Argentinian with a 7-1 record, Perez has always declared herself the ruler of the featherweight division before even setting foot inside the Octagon for the first time. She’s earned five of her seven wins by stoppage and her lone loss was by disqualification, so the confidence is understandable; now she just has to show it’s justified by getting through Egger on Saturday.

Benoit Saint Denis vs Gabriel Miranda

(L-R) Benoit Saint Denis of France punches Niklas Stolze of Germany in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 04, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Benoit Saint Denis gets a hometown assignment on Saturday, squaring off with Brazilian veteran and UFC newcomer Gabriel Miranda in a preliminary card bout in the lightweight division.

Saint Denis debuted last October at UFC 267, competing at welterweight and catching hell from Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos. He returned to lightweight for his sophomore appearance and looked sharp, earning a second-round submission win over Niklas Stolze to push his record to 9-1 heading into Saturday’s contest.

The 32-year-old Miranda is a 21-fight veteran, arriving in the UFC as a replacement for Christos Giagos and looking to extend his winning streak to four. The MMA Masters representative returned from a two-year hiatus last September, securing two wins in four weeks to move his record to 16-5, and now he gets the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage in the sport.

Saint Denis was a force in his last outing, and Miranda comes in with nothing to lose as a late replacement, so don’t be surprised if these two get after it from the outset and set the Fight of the Night bar high early in the evening.

William Gomis vs Jarno Errens

A late addition to the fight card sees France’s William “Jaguar” Gomis take on Jarno Errens of the Netherlands in this featherweight pairing.

Training out of the MMA Factory, Gomis is 10-2 as a pro and arrives in the UFC on an eight-fight winning streak. He’s bounced around through a few different promotions including Cage Warriors, UAE Warriors, and Ares FC, earning solid results while his early setbacks to Salahdine Parnasse and Morgan Cherriere continue to age well.

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The 27-year-old Errens had his five-fight unbeaten streak snapped in his first start of the year, but quickly rebounded with a unanimous decision win under the Brave CF shingle four months later. He’s won 12 of 15 following a 1-1 start to his career, but Saturday marks a clear step up in competition for the Dutch newcomer.

Will Gomis continue to roll with a win at home or can Errens claim a road win on Saturday in Paris?

Nassourdine Imavov vs Joaquin Buckley

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Nassourdine Imavov and Joaquin Buckley square off in an intriguing showdown at 185 pounds.

Imavov enters on a two-fight winning streak and stationed at No. 12 in the rankings. The 26-year-old MMA Factory product has looked outstanding over his last two outings — second-round stoppage wins over Ian Heinisch and Edmen Shahbazyan — and will look for a third straight triumph to start the night.

Buckley has quietly cobbled together a three-fight winning streak following his knockout loss to Di Chirico at the start of last year, most recently scoring a second-round TKO win over Albert Duraev in June. “New Mansa” is always a threat to do something electric, and a dynamic victory over Imavov could very well vault him into the rankings next week.

Things are fairly open beyond the top tier of contenders in the middleweight division, so an impressive effort from either man that extends their respective winning streaks could carry them into a date with a Top 10 opponent next time out.

UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa took place on September 3, 2022, live from the Accor Arena in Paris, France. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!

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