UFC Fight Night 162: Maia vs. Askren - Predictions and Picks

#3 Ciryl Gane vs. Don’tale Mayes

France's Ciryl Gane impressed in his UFC debut this year

To say this one likely won’t make the third round would be an understatement. These two Heavyweights are massively inexperienced – Gane has just 4 fights to his name, Mayes has 8 – but what they lack for in experience they make up with sheer power and aggression.

Gane made his UFC debut back in August, and being a native of France as well as a huge athletic specimen – he’s 6’5” and 265lbs – he immediately drew comparisons with Francis Ngannou. His pre-UFC fights showed a fighter not as polished as Ngannou, hardly surprising given he was just 3-0, but he showed himself to be more than a simple power-puncher when he submitted Raphael Pessoa with a first-round arm-triangle choke.

Mayes meanwhile is another huge guy at 6’6” and 262lbs and judging from his footage, it’s clear that he hits very hard. He’s also a rarity in that he’s appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series three times, being KO’d by Allen Crowder but also picking up a pair of knockout victories of his own.

‘Kong’ does have a pair of decision wins on his record, meaning he’s definitely got the experience edge here, but will that serve him well? I’m not so sure. The fact that Gane was able to surprise everyone by submitting Pessoa tells me a lot; he’s clearly not a total neophyte on the ground and so any idea that Mayes may have had of simply outwrestling him should be out of the window.

Throw in the fact that Mayes was beaten down by Crowder and appears to be a slower, plodding Heavyweight in comparison to Gane, who is all explosive athleticism and speed, and I like the Frenchman’s chances here.

He’s got to be careful as anyone with Mayes’ power can knock an opponent out in one shot, but I think ‘Bon Gamin’ comes out on top and gets over with the crowd in this one.

The Pick: Gane via first-round KO