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Ciryl Gane suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career at UFC 270 on Saturday. He was defeated by Francis Ngannou via unanimous decision with the heavyweight championship on the line. While this must have been a bitter pill to swallow, there are plenty of exciting matchups still in play for the Frenchman.
Ngannou's win was the last fight of his contract, so his future is currently up in the air. 'The Predator' also has a torn MCL, so he could be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines which might make an interim championship fight necessary.
'Bon Gamin' would definitely be in the conversation to fight for an interim title if that ends up being the case. If not, he will have to bounce back with at least one win before he can re-enter the title picture given his last outing.
In any case, here are five fights that might make sense for Ciryl Gane upon his return to the octagon:
#5. Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa
Tai Tuivasa faces the biggest fight of his career when he takes on Derrick Lewis on February 12. While he is currently only ranked No.11 at present, a win over the No.3 Lewis would immediately elevate him near the top of the division and set up a number of big fights. Perhaps Ciryl Gane could be one of them.
If an interim title fight is needed, Gane, who came so close to being champion, taking on a surging Tuivasa would be a high-profile bout suitable for such a big stage.
Even if that is not the case, the UFC may feel Tuivasa needs one more big win before entering the title picture and could view 'Bon Gamin' as an appropriate challenge. While there are a lot of things that would need to fall in place for this clash to happen, we could see these two go at it in Gane's next bout.
#4. Ciryl Gane vs. Tom Aspinall
Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall are two of the best young heavyweights on the UFC roster. A fight between these two is a mouth-watering prospect but in order for that to happen, Aspinall will have to win his next fight. He is scheduled to face Alexander Volkov on March 19.
Should Aspinall win that one, he will establish himself as an elite heavyweight whilst likely remaining a win away from a title shot. That would make 'Bon Gamin' a perfect opponent as both men would then be on the edge of the title conversation.
This fight makes a ton of sense and would be fascinating to watch. While Volkov is a very tough opponent and should not be overlooked, if Aspinall is able to get the win there, Cyril Gane could very well be next.
#3. Ciryl Gane vs. Chris Daukaus
Chris Daukaus may not be a name that sends social media into a frenzy, but this matchup does seem like an appropriate bout for both men. Like the Frenchman, Daukaus' impressive winning streak came to an end in his last bout when he was knocked out by Derrick Lewis.
With both men tasting defeat in their most recent fights, booking them against each other ensures one of them gets back on track. Despite his loss, Daukaus remains the highest-ranked fighter on this list thus far and would provide Gane with the opportunity to get back in the win column against world-class opposition.
On top of that, it might allow 'Bon Gamin' to put on a more entertaining performance than he has in recent times. Three of the Frenchman's last four have gone to a decision so putting him in there with Daukaus, who has only been past the second round once in his career, would be a fun option.
#2. Ciryl Gane vs. Stipe Miocic
While he was hardly mentioned when Cyril Gane fought on Saturday, Stipe Miocic has been consistent in stating his desire to exclusively fight for UFC gold at this stage of his career. With that being the case, this fight would only be able to happen in the event that the UFC is looking for an interim title fight.
If that does end up being the scenario in the heavyweight decision, this could well be the fight to make. 'Bon Gamin' came close to winning the undisputed gold on Saturday and Stipe Miocic is largely considered to be the greatest UFC heavyweight in history. Miocic has not fought since losing the title to Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021.
This would be a massive new matchup atop the heavyweight division. However, in an ideal world, the UFC would pay Francis Ngannou what he wants to avoid an interim bout. Another possible issue is that an interim bout between Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones might be even more appealing.
#1. Ciryl Gane vs. Curtis Blaydes
Curtis Blaydes may not be nearly as big a name as Stipe Miocic, but he might make more sense as Ciryl Gane's next opponent. Blaydes has only ever lost to Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou, is ranked No.4 in the division and would provide Gane with a chance to show he's learned from his loss.
This is because Curtis Blaydes might just possess the best wrestling of any heavyweight on the roster. Given grappling was the Frenchman's undoing in his last fight, seeing if he is able to deal with that threat would be a great way to build towards a second shot at the gold.
Blaydes provides 'Bon Gamin' with a highly ranked opponent and an opportunity to show that out-wrestling the Frenchman is not going to work every time. This is hugely important to the future of his career at heavyweight and so a fight with Blaydes could be the perfect next step.
