Former champion landed a bloody knockout in UFC’s France debut to set up disastrous Jon Jones title fight

UFC’s first event in France saw Ciryl Gane land a brutal knockout win in the main event

Two years after France lifted its ban on MMA, Gane headlined his home country’s first UFC event with an astonishing victory in Paris.

The French fighter walked into the Accor Arena with the entire crowd behind him, as 15,000 fans cheered him along against Tai Tuivasa in the main event of the show.

The taller Gane was in better shape than his Australian opponent and used his conditioning and reach advantage to keep him at arm’s length.

He peppered him with jabs throughout the bout, opening up a cut above Tuivasa’s eye which got worse and worse throughout the bout.

Tuivasa managed to knock Gane down in the second round with a huge punch, showing why he was kept away for the bulk of the fight.

This shock made Gane go in for the kill, further attacking the cut with the jab and letting blood pour down the Australian’s face and onto the canvas.

The third round saw the fight end, as Gane hit an extraordinary combination of punches, ducking Tuivasa’s strikes and sending him crashing to the mat as the crowd roared with excitement, and the referee called off the fight by TKO.

Ngannou struggled to find the fight impressive, but it convinced Dana White to give Gane a title fight against Jon Jones at UFC 285.

Jon Jones dominated Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to win the vacant UFC Heavyweight belt

With the impressive win in France, Gane earned himself a shot at the vacant UFC Heavyweight championship against the dominant Jon Jones.

Jones was one of the most impressive fighters in UFC history, but hadn’t fought for three years since vacating his UFC Light Heavyweight title.

His return saw him compete with Gane as he moved up to the Heavyweight division and proved himself to be one of the most dangerous fighters in the entire promotion.

Unfortunately, the bout was disastrous for Gane. Without his hometown crowd behind him, the Frenchman lasted just two minutes against Jones.

The first kick of the fight was a low blow from Gane, which only angered Jones, who wrestled him down to the canvas soon after.

“Bones” quickly locked in a guillotine choke, choking Gane unconscious in quick fashion to become the UFC Heavyweight champion for the first time in his career.

It was a tough ending to watch for Gane, who couldn’t match the incredible highs of main eventing UFC in France in this fight.