CIRYL GANE won the interim UFC heavyweight title by winning decisively over Derrick Lewis.
The Frenchman and The Black Beast fought early this morning at UFC 265 in Houston Texas.
Ciryl Gane defeats Derrick Lewis in round three and makes a statement!
UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc), August 8, 2021
#UFC265 pic.twitter.com/FKoTWx74Ob
Houston's hitman Lewis enjoyed a hometown advantage in his second attempt at UFC gold. However, that didn't matter as Bon Gamin picked him apart before he was stopped in the third.
After Lewis was hurt by a beautiful counter left, Gane ended the contest with a brutal barrage of hammer strikes with less than one minute remaining.
France's first UFC champion, now with a perfect 10-0 record. Lewis was outclassed from start to finish by Lewis's technical and crisp striking.
Gane, beaming with pride, said about his title-winning performance: It was that.
"He touched me perhaps one (or two) times.
"He poked me in the eyes. Throughout the fight, my vision blurred.
"It wasn't easy, but it was a masterclass.
"The feeling was exactly as we expected, exactly what our expectations were.
"That's why I never touched him. He never touched me.
"It was the right hand every time. Maybe 10 times.
"He never touched me 100% because we worked hard on it.
"Because it was what we expected. We did (our gameplan) well."
Gane's victory over Lewis saw Gane win a unification bout against Francis Ngannou (former team-mate, undisputed heavyweight champion), who was watching from the comfort of home.
The Predator tweeted "Impressive performance by Gane!" He is now a legitimate contender.
"See you soon, boy. You know when you know.
HIGH PRAISE
UFC President Dana White was overwhelmed by Gane’s masterclass on Lewis, whom he holds in such high regard.
Lewis was praised by a veteran promoter as "he is one of the greatest heavyweights in this world."
"What tonight showed you, and the rest of the globe is how great Ciryl Gane was.
"So, the [punches] were] 104-8 [in Gane’s favor]. What does this tell you?
"We all know Derrick Lewis and that he is one of the greatest musicians in the world.
In his UFC 265 match with Derrick Lewis, Ciryl Gane gave a spectacular performance
"He has been there with great athletes who were certain to beat him.
"He caught them with that punch, and he ended-up knocking them out.
"He couldn’t do anything tonight against Ciryl Gane. This is how Ciryl Gane's talent.
