Rising star Ciryl Gane achieves UFC record with heavyweight win

There is a new star in UFC after an emerging champion dominated his heavyweight fight to achieve something never done before.

Ciryl Gane became the first French-born fighter to hold a UFC title. Photo: Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images /AFP

Ciryl Gane was kept his undefeated UFC record in tact with a TKO win over Derrick Lewis to become the interim heavyweight champion.

And his victory was historic, becoming the first ever France-born UFC titleholder.

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Gane and Lewis went into the bout ranked as the No. 3 and No. 4 heavyweight fighters in the world, with the winner set to take on Francis Ngannou for UFC gold.

Lewis was the more experienced and established fighter but still went in as the underdog against Gane, who is rapidly rising through the UFC ranks and only enhanced his credentials on Sunday.

The American boasted a huge amount of power going into the fight as the UFC’s all-time leader in the heavyweight division.

Meet your FIRST France-born UFC champion 🏆🇫🇷 @Ciryl_Gane

[ #AndNew | #UFC265 ] pic.twitter.com/Yvr2z22YIq

— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2021

But it mattered little as Gane didn’t give Lewis any opportunity to land a meaningful blow.

Lewis couldn’t land any strikes in the opening three minutes of the first round, only managing to throw two.

The 36-year-old struggled to assert any authority in the Octagon as Gane dominated, switching between jabs and leg kicks.

Ciryl Gane (right) was way too good for Derrick Lewis. Photo: Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images /AFP

Gane’s speed and evasiveness made it too difficult for Lewis to get close and land any major blows.

The Frenchman dominated the fight so much that one stage late in the second round, he had a 34-2 advantage in significant strikes.

Lewis was never really in with a chance, as Gane continued to deploy leg kick attacks on his opponent, who missed a succession of lunging punches, before Gane returned fire.

A series of strikes eventually consigned Lewis to an emphatic defeat.

The Frenchman’s comprehensive win marked himself as a major challenger for Ngannou, Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones — the other three contenders in the division.

When asked about the prospect of taking on his former teammate Ngannou, Gane was fired up.

“The fight is going to go up, so let’s go,” he said

“Just, let’s go.”

Flawless. Ciryl Gane is a legit problem for Francis Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, Jon Jones. He’s a real player here. And he’s likely only getting better. Ngannou vs. Gane will be must-see.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 8, 2021

Jones vs Francis vs gane vs stipe fatal four way match

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) August 8, 2021

Ciryl Gane stops Derrick Lewis with strikes in the third. It was too easy. Took his time and barely absorbed a single punch. Lewis just couldn't get out of first gear.

Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane is up next.

— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) August 8, 2021

Gane is now a major conteder for UFC gold. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images )

UFC 265 FIGHT CARD

Ciryl Gane defeated Derrick Lewis by TKO, interim heavyweight championship

Jose Aldo defeated Pedro Munhoz by unaminous decision, bantamweight

Vicente Luque defeated Michael Chiesa by submission, welterweight

Tecia Torres defeated Angela Hill by unanimous decision, women’s strawweight

Song Yadong defeated Casey Kenney by split decision, bantamweight

Rafael Fiziev defeated Bobby Green by unanimous decision, lightweight

Vince Morales defeated Drako Rodriguez by unanimous decision, bantamweight

Alonzo Menifield defeated Ed Herman by unanimous decision, light heavyweight

Jessica Penne defeated Karolina Kowalkiewicz by submission, women’s flyweight

Manel Kape defeated Ode Osbourne by KO, flyweight

Originally published as Rising star Ciryl Gane achieves UFC record with heavyweight win