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Tai Tuivasa headlines UFC Paris against French kickboxer turned MMA fighter Ciryl Gane, and 'Bam Bam' is expecting nothing but the best from 'Bon Gamin' despite his previous loss to Francis Ngannou.
Gane was beating Ngannou through the first two rounds of their UFC heavyweight unification bout when they fought back in January 2022. Despite injuring his knee badly, Ngannou was able to change strategies and employ a wrestling-heavy gameplan to win the final three rounds, earning a decision win. Despite that demoralizing defeat, Tai Tuivasa doesn't believe he'll be facing a "wounded animal" at UFC Paris.
In a new interview with The MMA Hour, he said:
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"I think it'll drive [Gane] to work harder, train harder. Plus it's such a big event, it's first time in history, it's his hometown, it's his hood. He's a great athlete and I think he's going to come prepared. But I'm gonna bring something I don't thing anyone has gave him yet, and that's f***ing ... a fight. I'm gonna bite down on my mouthguard and go forward. That's what we do."
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Watch Tai Tuivasa discuss his UFC Paris fight against Ciryl Gane below:
Tai Tuivasa vs. Ciryl Gane is an interesting stylistic match-up as Gane is known for being a slick technician while Tuivasa is a brawler and knockout artist. If Gane is able to control the pace of the fight, he'll likely keep Tuivasa on the outside and pick him apart with long kicks and jabs. As Tuivasa said, his goal is to push forward and close the distance where he can turn things into an ugly brawl.
Tai Tuivasa believes "d**khead" Jon Jones would be willing to fight him
The UFC heavyweight division is in an unique position with champion Francis Ngannou injured and likely leaving the promotion once he recovers. The return of Jon Jones is also casting a shadow over the weight class, as it's expected he may walk right into a title shot upon his return.
The MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani suggested that Tuivasa could very well end up fighting Jones if Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic can't come to terms with the UFC. Tuivasa responded by saying:
"How he fights, he is probably the best fighter to ever set foot in the cage. Is he a d**khead? Yes. I think he's a d**khead. Will I fight him? Yes. Will he fight me? I think he would because he's fought everyone and anyone, he's one of the greatest to ever do it. I'd love to fight him, yeah."
Tuivasa is currently on a five-fight winning streak and sits in the No. 3 spot in the UFC heavyweight rankings. A win over Ciryl Gane, who was the interim heavyweight champion before losing to Francis Ngannou in his last fight, would put 'Bam Bam' in a position to fight for the title. Whether that's against Jon Jones or someone else is the big question.
