UFC Paris LIVE results: Gane vs Tuivasa stream, latest updates and how to watch fights tonight
Re-live updates and results from the Accor Arena as the UFC visited France for the very first time
Ciryl Gane capped off a historic night for French mixed martial arts by sending his fellow Parisians into raptures on Saturday, knocking out Tai Tuivasa in the main event of the UFC’s first ever trip to the City of Light.
Gane showed off his technical abilities – almost unrivalled in the heavyweight division – in the first round, but had to survive a heavy knockdown from Tuivasa in an enthralling second frame to earn a crucial win. It was in the third round that Gane broke down the Australian with body kicks that set up kicks and punches to the head of Tuivasa, a flurry of which put away the tourist to spark ecstasy in the Accor Arena. The result saw 32-year-old Gane, who has only been competing in MMA for four years, bounce back from the sole defeat of his professional career so far – a decision loss to former teammate Francis Ngannou in January.
In the co-main event, Robert Whittaker similarly bounced back from a title-fight defeat, outpointing Marvin Vettori with a clinical performance in the pair’s middleweight showdown.
Re-live updates and results as the UFC visited France for the very first time ever.
UFC Paris LIVE
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently turned down the chance to return to fighting, according to UFC president Dana White.
Nurmagomedov retired unbeaten in 2020, moments after retaining the UFC lightweight title by submitting Justin Gaethje.
The Russian, 33, now primarily trains other fighters, including compatriot and longtime friend Islam Makhachev, who will fight for the lightweight title in October.
Speaking on The Jim Rome Show about the possibility of a Khabib comeback, White had this to say:
Khabib turned down recent comeback opportunity, says UFC president
Nurmagomedov, who retired unbeaten as UFC lightweight champion in 2020, reportedly passed up the chance to compete in a grappling match recently
UFC Paris LIVE
Tonight’s co-main event is an important contest, worthy of headlining its own Fight Night as a bout that many fans wanted to see play out over five rounds – rather than the three scheduled for this evening.
It sees former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker take on ex-title challenger Marvin Vettori, with each man looking to stay near the top of the division after recent losses to 185lbs king Israel Adesanya.
Australian Whittaker was outpointed by Adesanya in a close fight in February, two-and-a-half years after losing the middleweight title to the “Last Stylebender” via knockout. Meanwhile, Vettori last competed in October, beating Paulo Costa on points to bounce back from his second decision defeat by Adesanya, who also beat the Italian back in 2018.
Whittaker holds a spot in our pound-for-pound UFC rankings. See where he sits, right here:
The Independent’s pound-for-pound UFC rankings
Here are our top 10 men’s fighters in the UFC, in a list to be updated monthly
UFC Paris LIVE
Here is a look at the UFC Paris main card:
Ciryl Gane vs Tai Tuivasa (heavyweight)
Robert Whittaker vs Marvin Vettori (middleweight)
Alessio di Chirico vs Roman Kopylov (middleweight)
William Gomis vs Jarno Errens (featherweight)
Charles Jourdain vs Nathaniel Wood (featherweight)
Nassourdine Imavov vs Joaquin Buckley (middleweight)
To see the full prelim line-up, check out our handy article here:
UFC Paris card: Gane vs Tuivasa and all fights this weekend
UFC Paris card: Ciryl Gane vs Tai Tuivasa and all fights this weekend
UFC Paris LIVE
Check out our exclusive interview with Britain’s Nathaniel Wood, who competes on the main card at UFC Paris tonight, below:
“When the UFC returned to London in March, after three years away, British fans and fighters combined to produce one of the most memorable Fight Nights in the history of the sport. The Britons thrived in the Octagon that night, while their compatriots punctuated every enthralling moment with incomparable verve. There was one thing missing, however: a hometown fighter to become a hometown hero.
“It could have been Nathaniel Wood. But three days out from UFC London, the 29-year-old’s opponent Vince Morales withdrew from the pair’s bout, as Wood’s long wait for a return to the ring continued.
“Wood, a former Cage Warriors champion, had not stepped foot in the Octagon since a close decision defeat in October 2020, with injuries and the Covid pandemic providing barriers between the bantamweight and the ability to compete.
“‘Ah, mate, it was just… It was a feeling where I thought: Why am I doing this? Should I just become a postman, and go and get a [normal] job?’ Wood tells The Independent, reflecting on the collapsed fight in March.”
Full interview here:
Nathaniel Wood: ‘I thought, why am I doing this? Should I just become a postman?’
Exclusive interview: The hometown fighter’s UFC London bout fell through on three days’ notice in March, before he returned to the O2 Arena with a win in July
UFC Paris LIVE
There may be no better man to headline France’s first ever UFC event than Ciryl Gane.
Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion has not exactly had an abundance of French fighters on its roster since its inception in 1993, which is no surprise given the nation did not even legalise the sport until two years ago, but Gane occupies an intriguing place in the timeline of French MMA.
Like many of his combative compatriots, the 32-year-old spent a portion of his career competing abroad. But, having only started training in the sport in 2018 – the same year in which he began his professional career – Gane has not had to wait long for a homecoming. Still, he has more than earned his place in the UFC Paris main event this evening, when he takes on Tai Tuivasa.
Full UFC Paris preview:
UFC Paris represents landmark moment for French MMA
MMA’s leading promotion touches down in France for the first time this weekend, as the sport’s journey in the country begins to accelerate
UFC Paris LIVE
Just two years ago, the sport of mixed martial arts was not even legal in France. This evening, MMA’s flagship promotion will visit the country for the very first time, as the UFC stages a Fight Night in Paris.
In the main event, hometown heavyweight Ciryl Gane looks to begin his journey back towards the heavyweight title that he failed to capture at the start of this year. Gane entered UFC 270 unbeaten and as interim champion but was on the wrong end of a surprising wrestling display from Francis Ngannou, a former teammate of Gane who is much more known for his knockouts than his grappling. In any case, Ngannou handed Gane the first defeat of the Frenchman’s career, leaving the 32-year-old in need of a win here to get back on track.
And Gane is favoured to pick up a victory tonight, as the surprisingly nimble and technical heavyweight goes up against Australian Tuivasa. The tourist, however, does enter UFC Paris on the back of five straight wins – all of which have come via knockout – leading many to suggest that he should not be as big of an underdog as the bookmakers have made him. Who will get their hand raised? Find out below, after former middleweight champion Rob Whittaker faces ex-title challenger Marvin Vettori in the co-main event.
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