In the main event of UFC 265, the interim heavyweight title was up for grabs as Ciryl Gane took on Derrick Lewis.
Gane entered the fight with a perfect 9-0 record and only turned pro back in August of 2018. The Frenchman signed to the UFC at 3-0 and has looked unstoppable. Lewis, meanwhile, was riding a four-fight winning streak and was coming off a KO win over Curtis Blaydes.
In the end, it was Gane who got his hand raised as he put on a clinic and dominated Lewis. The Frenchman was avoiding the power shots of Lewis and hurting him on the feet and eventually got a third-round stoppage. Now, following UFC 265, here is what I think should be next for Gane and Lewis.
Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane proved he was the real deal on Saturday night at UFC 265 with a dominant performance. In the fight, he only cemented the face he is a phenomenal technical striker and can stick to a game plan for the entire time he’s in there.
Although many didn’t like the idea of the UFC having an interim title fight, in reality, if you take the belt away, this was just a number one contender fight. With Gane winning by TKO, his next fight will be against Francis Ngannou for the undisputed belt.
A fight between Ngannou vs. Gane will likely happen in early-2022 but if possible, the UFC should look to have it in France. Both men have ties to the country, with Ngannou living there for years while Gane is the first-ever French UFC champion. Regardless, this will be a massive fight for the heavyweight division.
Derrick Lewis
Derrick Lewis had a title shot in his hand but Ngannou wasn’t ready for August so the promotion moved on to the interim title fight. Unfortunately for Lewis, he came up short once again in his bid to become UFC champion.
With the loss, Lewis will likely need to string together a couple of wins in a row to get another title shot, especially if Gane beats Ngannou. He could face someone like Stipe Miocic, yet it seems like the former champ is holding out for a title shot. With that, the most logical fight is for Lewis to face Jairzinho Rozenstruik no matter the result of his fight against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 266.
If Rozenstruik beats Blaydes, a scrap against Lewis could be a number one contender fight. Yet, if Rozenstruik loses, it would serve as a bounce-back fight with one of them getting back in the win column.
What do you think should be next for Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis after UFC 265?