The interim heavyweight title will be contested by Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis, oddly enough only three months removed from Francis Ngannou winning the belt.
With champion Ngannou unable to defend his title in the immediate future, the UFC has decided to move on without him and has set up a heavyweight summer showdown. News of this wild fight was first reported by Brett Okamoto at ESPN.
The interim title fight will take place on August 7 and will be the main event in Houston, Texas for the UFC 265 pay-per-view. Since Lewis is a proud Texas native, it makes dollars and sense to place him atop the card in the headliner spot.
Derrick Lewis (@Thebeast_ufc) will face Ciryl Gane (@ciryl_gane) in an interim heavyweight title fight in the main event of UFC 265 on Aug. 7 in Houston, per Dana White (@danawhite). pic.twitter.com/wy3frMtyjJ
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 28, 2021
“Derrick Lewis (@Thebeast_ufc) will face Ciryl Gane (@ciryl_gane) in an interim heavyweight title fight in the main event of UFC 265 on Aug. 7 in Houston, per Dana White (@danawhite).” Brett Okamoto posted.
Ciryl Gane Will Look To Become An Undefeated UFC Interim Champion
The 9-0 unbeaten Ciryl Gane will look to expand his win streak in this interim title fight against Lewis who has a win over the current champ in Ngannou.
Recently, at UFC Vegas 30 fans saw Gane tested once again, but he passed with flying colors. The unbeaten contender took on the 6 foot 7 Alexander Volkov and put a beating on the Russian. Despite not finishing the fight, the scorecards read a lopsided unanimous decision win for the Frenchman Gane.
Entering the interim title bout with more than double the experience of Gane is Lewis. “The Black Beast” is known for his funny personality but more notably his undeniable power inside the cage that carries through the entire fight.
In fact, he put his power on display for everyone when he dispatched Volkov with a buzzer-beater knockout in the very last second of their fight. Certainly, Lewis will be able to bring the fight out of Gane and that should make for a thrilling heavyweight affair.
Do you agree with the interim title fight or should the company wait for the return of Ngannou?
