Heavyweights
Ciryl Gane (4-0) vs. Don'Tale Mayes (6-2)Advertisement
His pro MMA debut was only a little more than a year ago, but France’s Gane is already shaping up to be the next big thing at heavyweight. The last man in the division to capture this many imaginations was teammate Francis Ngannou, but while Ngannou’s approach is mostly built on horsepower, Gane gets by on the smooth movement honed by years of muay Thai and kickboxing. There are still questions to answer for Gane against stronger competition -- namely durability and how well he handles an opponent who refuses to go away and starts fighting back -- but “Bon Gamin” has a ceiling as high as anyone in the division. After dispatching Raphael Pessoa without much trouble in his UFC debut, Gane gets a solid next test in Indiana’s Mayes, who finally secured his UFC contract after appearing on all three seasons of Dana White’s Contender Series.
Mayes is a solid heavyweight who has obviously improved each time out, and if nothing else, he provides a challenge since he is one of the few heavyweights who can match Gane in terms of reach and size. That alone could make this Gane’s prospect loss. Assuming the Frehcman moves enough to stay out of trouble early, Mayes’ gas tank has consistently been an issue, which should allow Gane to eventually take over the fight. The pick is Gane via second-round stoppage.
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