UFC Fight Island 6: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie - Predictions and Picks

#2 UFC Heavyweight Division: Ciryl Gane vs. Ante Delija

Ciryl Gane could be a future contender for the UFC Heavyweight title. (Image credits: Jeff Bottari, UFC)

In a world not affected by COVID-19, it’s not hard to imagine that France’s Gane might be a contender for the UFC Heavyweight title right now. Bon Gamin debuted in the UFC last year after just three professional fights, but right away, it was clear that he belonged.

Sporting the physique of a 1980’s cartoon character, Gane smacked around Raphael Pessoa, Don’Tale Mayes, and Tanner Boser in the space of just five months in 2019, out-striking all three comfortably and even submitting Pessoa and Mayes for good measure.

However, his 2020 has been plagued by both injuries and fight cancelations. The UFC has tried to book him against Shamil Abdurakhimov – a solid test by anyone’s standards – three times this year, only for the fight to fall through each time. This weekend has seen the Dagestani withdraw again, hence Gane facing off with the largely unknown Ante Delija.

A native of Croatia, Delija – who sports the cool nickname of Walking Trouble – has a solid record at least. He’s 17-3, with a professional MMA career dating back to 2011. With 20 fights to his name, he has more than triple the experience of Gane. But will that be enough?

In all honesty, it’s highly unlikely. While Delija isn’t exactly a small man – he’s billed as being 6’5” and 251lbs – he doesn’t appear to be the biggest Heavyweight, looking like a better diet could bring his weight down somewhat. And he also doesn’t appear to be the greatest natural athlete.

However, based on the footage I’ve seen, his lack of striking defense is the most worrying thing. Walking Trouble appears to be a power puncher first and foremost, and an aggressive one at that. However, swinging wild, powerful punches at someone as pinpoint as Gane is almost certain to get him into trouble.

Judging from his previous UFC outings, Gane has the ability to hurt an opponent in all areas. His striking from the outside is lethal, as Boser and Mayes found out when they ate numerous long punches from a distance. But he’s also highly nasty from close range, using his height and reach to deliver knees and elbows from inside the clinch.

And of course, that isn’t even mentioning his ground game. When he debuted in the UFC, people suspected that could be a weakness – but instead Bon Gamin submitted a solid grappler in Pessoa and then repeated the feat against Mayes.

Essentially, for Delija to win this fight, he’s probably going to have to knock Gane out in one shot. And while he’s got far more experience than the Frenchman, to see him do that in his UFC debut – particularly after nearly a year on the shelf – is just not likely to happen. Instead, I suspect this will be a quick win for Gane, setting up big things for him in the near future.

The Pick: Gane via first-round TKO