UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane has opened as a considerable betting favorite for his newly announced interim title fight with Derrick Lewis.
Just days out from his comfortable UFC Vegas 30 main event victory over Alexander Volkov, it was announced that Gane will make a quick turn-around to face “The Black Beast” at UFC 265. It’ll be the Frenchman’s first pay-per-view headliner.
Gane’s rise in the UFC has been both rapid and impressive. Having arrived in the promotion as a relative newcomer to MMA in 2019, “Bon Gamin” has quickly established himself as one of the best heavyweights in the world.
Having defeated Tanner Boser, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik on his way to a top three spot in the division’s rankings, Gane secured a second consecutive main event victory when he defeated “Drago” last weekend.
But while he appeared open to sitting on the sideline until he received a title shot, a surprising turn of events has seen the UFC stray from the intended rematch between champion Francis Ngannou and number one contender Lewis.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto took to Twitter to share the revised plan for the top of the division.
“Derrick Lewis (@Thebeast_ufc) will face Ciryl Gane (@ciryl_gane) in an interim heavyweight title fight in the main event of UFC 265 on Aug. 7 in Houston, per Dana White (@danawhite).”
Despite Lewis boasting a victory over Ngannou and being previously set to challenge the champion in the coming months, Gane has opened as a large betting favorite for the interim title bout.
Not long after the announcement, BetOnline.ag posted the early odds for the octagon-shaking main event. The online sportsbook opened with the unbeaten Frenchman as a -325 favorite. As a sizeable underdog, Lewis is listed at +275.
Given that Gane was only a slight favorite (-137) heading into his fight with Volkov last Saturday, these odds will certainly come as a surprise to many.
But despite being the underdog, Derrick Lewis will undoubtedly be the toughest challenger to Gane’s perfect MMA record so far. The 21-fight UFC veteran has faced the likes of Ngannou, Daniel Cormier, Roy Nelson and Travis Browne across his decade in the sport.
An impressive winning streak, which was extended to four fights this year when he brutally knocked out Curtis Blaydes, has seen Lewis firmly establish himself as the division’s top contender. He’ll look to secure a rematch with Ngannou once and for all with a victory over “Bon Gamin.”
Reacting to his matchup with Lewis, Gane took to Twitter and said “I never say no to challenges.”
Do you think Ciryl Gane will beat Derrick Lewis in the UFC 265 main event?
