Ciryl Gane made it 2-0 against Alexander Volkov, but not without plenty of controversy coming out of the split decision ruling at UFC 310.
Gane was tested early, as Volkov scored a takedown within the opening minute. Though it took a little bit of time, the Frenchman was able to work his way back up to his feet and even managed to score his own takedown during the frame. "Drago" looked to isolate an arm while on the ground, and the former interim champion tried to respond with a leg lock attempt. The Russian spun out of it and the fight returned to the feet.
In the closing seconds of the round, Gane seemed to trouble Volkov with a tight guillotine attempt, but time expired.
Volkov rocked Gane with a spinning backfist and followed it up with a knee to the body and a series of shots. The MMA Factory standout recovered and battled back, stumbling his opponent at one point, but the Russian troubled him late in the round with a choke.
As the fight returned to the ground in the third, Gane looked to lock up a kimura for a few minutes but couldn't get it. Volkov, who threw punches to the body the whole time, worked his way out and looked to flatten out the Frenchman. "Drago" cradled "Bon Gamin" and rode the closing seconds of the fight on top.
Two judges gave the fight to Gane 29-28, with round one ultimately being where the split occurred. The Paris native and his team, weirdly enough, were leaving the Octagon and had to be pulled back into it for the post-fight interview.
Ciryl Gane Wins Controversial Decision In Rematch With Alexander Volkov At UFC 310
Gane was 3-2 since the first fight with Volkov, including an interim title win over Derrick Lewis and losses in title shots against Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones.
Meanwhile, Saturday's result snapped a four-fight win streak Volkov entered UFC 310 bout with. His sole defeat in the time since the initial Gane fight came against current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.