With only a little more than four months passed after a new Heavyweight Champion was crowned back in March the UFC has decided that more than enough time has passed. After Francis proved he had more than freak strength against Stipe, displaying excellent takedown defense and also the ability to scramble to superior positions if necessary, he put the entire world on notice. The second Stipe's takedown attempts were stuffed every single person knew it was only a matter of time until one of "the Predator's" bombs found its home. Francis was finally able to avenge his loss to Stipe and is now currently the undisputed champion.
So with Francis looking to start his title reign the one fight that made a lot of sense to everyone was against the UFC's record holder for most knockouts in the Heavyweight division, Derrick "the Black Beast" Lewis. Lewis stated multiple times over the past few months that he was offered to fight Francis and obliged. Derrick also stated in a couple of interviews that he would fight Francis anywhere, anytime. With that fight seeming to be a near lock it was a shock to most when the UFC announced that Lewis would be fighting for the Heavyweight championship, but not against Francis?
So what happened here? It all depends on who you ask really. According to Dana White he said that his team reached out to Francis on several occasions trying to book a date and a location that made sense to him. Dana stated that there was a lot of pushback from Francis' team and Dana is not very patient. After the UFC tried and failed they decided to move into a new direction. After already offering Derick a title shot, the UFC could not take that back. So now here we are again with a "Interim" title on the line. This isn't an ideal situation to be in, but at this point it needs to happen. The division cannot stay stagnant, it is unfair for Lewis. With Derrick saying he wanted to fight sooner than later the UFC needed a worthy opponent...que undefeated rising star Ciryl Gane.
Ciryl is the UFC's newest and brightest star in the Heavyweight division, he currently holds a perfect 9-0 record in mixed martial arts and comes from a seasoned Muay Thai background. Before stepping into the world of mixed martial arts, Ciryl Gane competed in Muay Thai competitions across various organizations. He was able to rack up an impressive 13-0 record defeating 9 of his opponents by TKO/KO. Gane is a scary looking heavyweight with the physique of a champion. After deciding to transition from Muay Thai into MMA Gane has not missed a beat. He was thrown into the UFC's heavyweight division against top tier opponents. Ciryl would go on to defeat one fighter after another continuing to look more precise after each bout. His last win came over Alexander Volkov at UFC Vegas 30 only a month and a half ago. Gane looked sharp, and was never in any danger throughout the entire twenty-five minute fight. Gane was able to dictate the pace and range the entire fight, and now, a month-and-a-half later, Ciryl Gane is ready to take on one of the division's most dangerous strikers in Derrick Lewis.
Now that Lewis has a dance partner, who does Vegas believe has the edge? MONEYLINE:
Derick Lewis +300
Ciryl Gane -380
To be honest when I first saw this line I was pretty surprised, but when you think about how often Lewis is a heavy under-dog I guess I'm really not that surprised. The last time we saw Derrick Lewis fight he was matched-up against another one of the UFC's new star's in Curtis Blaydes. Curtis came into that fight riding a 4 fight winning streak and all the momentum on his side. At first look many believed Curtis would be able to close the distance on Lewis and suffocate him on the mat with his superior wrestling, but that's why in the world of MMA, nothing is a certainty. The entire first round between Lewis and Curtis was a mental chess match as Curtis looked to time a takedown perfectly to avoid getting caught. Derick's wrestling and ability to avoid the clinch was impressive but he was very hesitant to engage as well. With Curtis needing the takedown and Derick knowing it was coming, Lewis was able to time Curtis' takedown attempt perfectly with a counter-uppercut that sent Curtis to a different realm. This is why you can never never count the "Black Beast" out (just ask Alexander Volkov!). He is always one shot away from changing the entire landscape of the fight. He posses power that not many have ever had in the UFC.
So with gold on the line, and Derrick in his own backyard for this fight, who do I see walking out the new Interim Champion?!? MONEYLINE: Lewis +300 With Derick Lewis at odds of +300 vs anyone, I'm taking them. The last time Derick fought against Curtis the odds were very similar to this fight. Lewis was set as a +275 underdog and Curtis was a heavy -300 favorite...does that look familiar? Ciryl is definitely a top contender but throughout his entire young MMA career he has yet to face any adversity. I believe Derick can hurt Ciryl and force him to fight a different kind of fight than he's used to, not to mention the fact that Derick has twenty-five minutes to work with and at any point can land that one bomb that ends the fight. Hopefully the "Black Beast" can find a home for one of his heavy hands and give his hometown Houston crowd what they want, which is Lewis pounding the mat over an unconscious Ciryl Gane.
TOP BETS FOR THIS CARD:
PARLAY OPPURTUNITY:
Alonzo Menifield (-250) + Johnny Munoz Jr (-250)
Odds Combined: +100
Angela Hill / Tecia Torres Angela Hill: +130 Michael Chiesa / Vincente Luque Not To Go The Distance: +100 Jose Aldo / Pedro Munhoz Pedro Munhoz: +100 Jessica Penne / Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Under 2.5 Rounds: +350
Victoria Leonardo / Melissa Gatto Not To Go The Distance: -110
Manel Kape / Ode Osbourne
Under 2.5 Rounds: +110
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