Ciryl Gane

Overview

Seven of Ciryl Gane's 11 UFC wins are finishes, and the latest was a second-round stoppage of Alex Pereira in a title fight. A Frenchman out of MMA Factory in Paris, he is a heavyweight champion with an 11-2 UFC record and one no contest.

His profile reads as a striker who rarely pays for it. Elite output, below-average takedown work. We count three wins over elite opponents on his UFC ledger.

He carries a three-fight win streak into his next fight. The nickname is "Bon Gamin." The results are the grown-up version.

UFC Career

Gane debuted in August 2019 with a first-round submission of Raphael Pessoa (4:12). Two more fights followed that year: a third-round submission of Don'Tale Mayes and a unanimous decision over Tanner Boser.

The step up came in December 2020, when he stopped Junior Dos Santos in round 2 at UFC 256. Then came a run of main events: five-round unanimous decisions over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexander Volkov, and a third-round TKO of Derrick Lewis at UFC 265, which our model rates as an elite opponent. That made seven straight wins, his longest streak.

It ended at UFC 270, where Francis Ngannou, another elite opponent by our model, beat him by unanimous decision over five rounds. Gane rebounded with a third-round TKO of Tai Tuivasa in September 2022. His next loss came faster: Jon Jones submitted him in round 1 at 2:04 at UFC 285. It is also his only submission loss.

Then he rebuilt. A second-round TKO of Serghei Spivac in September 2023 was followed by a split decision over Volkov at UFC 310, a rematch against an opponent our model grades as elite.

At UFC 321 he fought Tom Aspinall in a title fight that ended in a no contest at 4:35 of round 1. It stays off the win-loss ledger. At UFC Freedom 250 he finished Alex Pereira at 1:27 of round 2 in another title fight.

Three straight wins on the ledger, with a no contest in between.

Fighting Style

Gane is a busy, accurate striker who is hard to hit. He lands a lot and absorbs little, and his striking defense holds up well against the rest of the UFC.

The wrestling is a different story. He rarely shoots for takedowns and gets taken down more than most, so grappling is not where his advantage lies. His submission attempts sit right around the UFC average.

His finishing is mostly on the feet. Five of his seven finishes are KO/TKO, three in round 2 and two in round 3. Only one finish came in the first round, so the stoppages tend to arrive later in fights.

He also has two submission wins, so he is not purely a striker. Four of his wins went to the scorecards.

Notable Wins

• Alex Pereira — KO/TKO, round 2, UFC Freedom 250 (2026), title fight
• Derrick Lewis — KO/TKO, round 3, UFC 265 (2021), main event
• Alexander Volkov — split decision, round 3, UFC 310 (2024)
• Junior Dos Santos — KO/TKO, round 2, UFC 256 (2020)

Quick Facts

• Division: Heavyweight (champion)
• UFC record: 11-2, 1 no contest
• Professional record (all promotions): 14-2-0 (1 NC)
• UFC debut: August 9, 2019
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 6'4" / 81"
• Team: MMA Factory, Paris, France
• Born: La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendée, France