Ciryl Gane and Jairzinho Rozenstruik face off at UFC Vegas 20 on February 27, and it seems both fighters do not mind the fight happening a little earlier than scheduled.
Originally booked for March 13, the two heavyweights got tapped early to replace the original main event that was supposed to be Dominick Reyes and former Rizin Light Heavyweight Champion Jiří Procházka. And Gane, like his opponent, does not mind the early booking at all.
Speaking exclusively with MMA News, Gane said, “I’m really excited about that. To have my face on the poster, that’s really crazy for the first time. I just started MMA like, three years ago. So, yes that’s really crazy.”
In his short time in MMA, he won the heavyweight title in Canada’s TKO promotion and since signing with the UFC, picking up wins over Tanner Boser and Junior Dos Santos. He is currently 4-0 in the UFC with a 7-0 overall record in the sport. Not bad for someone that only began in 2018.
Still, Rozenstruik poses a big threat to Gane and not just because of his 11-1 record in MMA. Rozenstruik brings a lot of striking experience to the cage from his time in kickboxing which makes his MMA record look small. Gane still likes the matchup because he believes they are still on the same level for striking when it comes to MMA.
“It’s a really big matchup that’s really crazy,” Gane said. “Two young rookies, two young fighters with high-level striking. We can expect a good fight for sure.”
Enter Jon Jones
A win at UFC Vegas 20 could mean a lot of things and with Jon Jones entering the division, it was hard not to get the up and coming heavyweight’s thoughts on Jones’ move to heavyweight.
“I love this fight.” Gane said of the hypothetical matchup. “This guy [Jones] can do anything, and I want to be this kind of fighter.”
Time will tell what kind of fighter Gane will be but a good test is certainly ahead of him on February 27.
How do you think Gane will do at UFC Vegas 20?
