UFC 265 is in the books, and France crowned its first UFC champion with Ciryl Gane scoring the TKO finish against Derrick Lewis in round three.
Around four months removed from winning the undisputed heavyweight title, the promotion decided to move on without Francis Ngannou. Thus, fans were treated in Houston, Texas inside the Toyota Center with an interim title bout featuring France’s Gane against the self-proclaimed ‘knockout king’ Lewis.
While the fight lasted three rounds, the striking difference between the two combatants was massive. With Gane outstriking Lewis in just about every portion of the contest, fans quickly understood why he has been so dominant in the UFC heavyweight division (currently on a 7-fight win streak).
After outworking Houston’s Lewis to get the round 3 finish, Gane made history in multiple facets but most notably as becoming the first French-born champion in the UFC. With an interim champion crowned, all signs point to Ngannou and their inevitable showdown. Admittedly, Gane wants the rest of the year off to welcome a child into the world but is insistent on unifying the title in due time.
CHAMP 🆚 CHAMP
Who wins this fight? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ULA9ae1yQX
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 8, 2021
In addition to the wild title fight, the UFC 265 co-main event saw the legend, Jose Aldo show his vintage self with a stellar performance against Pedro Munhoz. The two fought in a calculated striking battle where Jose Aldo mostly controlled the tempo of the fight. With his signature leg kicks back, the ‘King of Rio’ put the bantamweight division on notice. By the end of the fight, Munhoz was bloodied and it was mostly because of Aldo’s sharp boxing.
Vintage @JoseAldoJunior showed up last night!
What did the King of Rio have to say after his post win? 🔈⤵️ #UFC265 pic.twitter.com/4SROBc3qH2
— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2021
The night had tons of action, and Vicente Luque stood out with a first-round d’arce submission against Michael Chiesa. While many thought the Brazilian could get it done striking, he proved he’s a legitimate welterweight contender at UFC 265.
OH MY GOSH!!! 😱 @VicenteLuqueMMA just reversed it on him! #UFC265 pic.twitter.com/JTBj7W3j47
— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2021
Check out what the pros had to say following Ciryl Gane’s big title win.
Pros React On Twitter To UFC 265 Main Event – Ciryl Gane Defeats Derrick Lewis
Quite interesting. https://t.co/bya4uuaj1b
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 8, 2021
Great fights tonight 👏🏾
— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 8, 2021
France wins the interim heavyweight title. 👏
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) August 8, 2021
Flawless performance @ciryl_gane 👏👏👏. #UFC265
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) August 8, 2021
He’s a real problem! I’m super excited about the unification fight! If I am team @francis_ngannou I’m game plan meeting right now! We haven’t seen a heavyweight like this with these abilities!
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) August 8, 2021
Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane is going to be something else . Shiiii Dana what’s your cashapp, take my money right now 😂😂😂 #ufc265
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) August 8, 2021
What performance do you think stole the show at UFC 265?
