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In the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, Ciryl Gane proved that speed is a massive asset in the heavyweight division. Gane was too quick and too technically sound for Alexander Volkov, earning a wide decision win that may cement him as a future title challenger.
Gane and Volkov started the fight on somewhat equal footing, with Gane pushing the action and Volkov utilizing a strong kicking game to score points and try to slow down the faster fighter. Despite a consistent leg kick attack from Volkov in the early rounds of the fight, Gane never saw his movement impacted and never took his foot off the gas.
Volkov was not able to handle the hand speed of Gane as the fight wore on. Gane’s jab connected repeatedly and the speed caused Volkov to get stuck in between moments of wanting to let his hands go and wanting to defend the return fire.
With Volkov forced to fight off his back foot and unable to figure out Gane’s timing and angles, the fight tilted clearly in Gane’s favor in the championship rounds, with the less experienced fighter answering every offensive offering from the Russian.
The biggest threat to upend Gane’s performance came from his own fouls. After receiving a warning for multiple eye pokes earlier in the fight, Gane’s fingers dug deep into Volkov’s right eye in the fifth round. After Volkov was given time to recover, referee Herb Dean opted not to deduct a point from Gane for the foul despite the prior warnings.
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In the end, the foul didn’t matter, with final scores reading 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46, all for Gane, who improved to a perfect 9-0 with the win. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Volkov.
Already coming into the fight as the UFC’s No. 3 ranked heavyweight, Gane was asked what he wants next and offered up an obvious interest in a title fight against the winner of the upcoming fight between champion Francis Ngannou and challenger Derrick Lewis.
“You know, I’m ready,” Gane said. “I’m ready. I like the challenge. Give me a challenge.”