It has been a tough 2020 for UFC prospect Ciryl Gane (6-0). Gane came into 2020 as one of the brightest prospects in the division. A massive heavyweight with incredible striking and power to go along with it. The UFC had high hopes for Gane this year.
However, the promotion has attempted to book Gane in four fights through the year. None of which have come to fruition. He was supposed to fight today at UFC Fight Island 6, however, that fight was called off earlier this week.Â
Gane needs an opponent with name recognition and a ranking for the UFC to build him. Well, Dana White said yesterday that the promotion is working on an opponent that checks both of those boxes. That opponent would be former champion, Junior Dos Santos (21-8).
We last saw JDS back at UFC 252 when he took on Jairzinho Rozenstruik. That night, Dos Santos looked very good early on in the fight. Definitely won the first round in my opinion. However, JDS was caught with a flurry in round two that put him down for the count. His third straight TKO loss.
Thoughts on the UFC matchup?
This is a very good matchup for the UFC to make in my opinion. The former UFC champion has been struggling over the last year having suffered three straight knockout losses. JDS won three fights in a row prior to those losses.
Gane is being built up as a big time prospect for the heavyweight division. The division needs fresh faces to make things exciting, and the UFC couldn’t ask for a more exciting prospect than Ciryl Gane who currently trains with Francis Ngannou.
There will be a number of storylines that will surround this potential matchup. For Dos Santos, if he gets knocked out again, he might need to look at retirement, however, if he wins, he could look at one final run in the UFC before hanging it up.
For Gane, this is his chance to really introduce himself to the general MMA fans. Most know who Ciryl Gane is, but for the casuals, a big win over JDS would announce his arrival. It’s a fascinating matchup that I’m looking forward to.