This past Saturday on the main card of UFC 310, we saw a big time heavyweight rematch that had potential title implications. Former interim champion Ciryl Gane (13-2) and Alexander Volkov (38-11) were running back after their first fight a few years ago.
In their first fight which was a five-round main event, it was Ciryl Gane who coasted his way to a clear victory. However, Volkov turned around from that loss while going 5-1 in his next six and he’s just looked like a different fighter. He was looking to show how much better he’s become on Saturday night.
For Gane, the key for him was to use his movement and his speed. However, his speed and movement was hindered very early on. Gane used his wrestling to secure the first round, but starting in the second round, he didn’t seem like the same fighter. He rocked Volkov at one point and Volkov rocked him, but Gane seemed very limited.
I chalked it up to the incredible forward pressure from Alexander Volkov. Volkov controlled the third round on the ground and I thought Volkov won at UFC 310 29-28 as did virtually everyone including Dana White. However, two of the three judges thought the close second round went for Ciryl Gane and they gave the former interim champion the split decision win.
What’s next after UFC 310?
Gane was so disgusted with the performance that he initially left the octagon after the decision was read not wanting to do the post-fight interview. It was clear that Gane as well as his team thought he lost the fight. Nevertheless, two of the three people who matter scored it for Gane so it goes down in the books as a win.
After the fight, we learned a little more about why Gane might’ve been limited in his movement and his attacks at UFC 310. Gane said in the post-fight interview that he broke his toes with one of his first kicks during the fight. He then posted an image of his x-ray which showed three clear breaks in his toes.
So despite the injury and the overall poor performance, he still got the win. So, what’s next for Ciryl Gane? Well for Ciryl Gane, a lot will depend on what happens with the heavyweight title. There’s honestly not another fight for Ciryl Gane other than fighting for the heavyweight title.
If you look at the rankings, not a ton makes sense. The UFC is doing everything in their power to make the title unification bout between champion Jon Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall. If they cannot make that fight happen, Jones will likely vacate the title and the promotion will move to Aspinall – Gane for the heavyweight title.
If the fight does get made, Gane will still be next in line and he’ll likely fight Aspinall no matter what. If Jones were to win, he’d likely retire which would lead to Gane – Aspinall. If Aspinall won, they’d either do a Jon Jones rematch or again, Gane would be next.