UFC Fight Night 209: Gane vs. Tuivasa Odds, Schedule, Predictions
The UFC will check Paris off the list of the cities it has been to with the first-ever card in France headlined by Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa in the main event.
Gane is the perfect fighter to headline the card. Coming off a loss in a heavyweight championship fight against Francis Ngannou, he's the best fighter the country has to offer right now.
He'll get the opportunity to bounce back from that loss against the hard-hitting Tai Tuivasa. The Aussie has legitimate knockout power and the ability to get into the title picture himself with a win.
Elsewhere on the card, a key middleweight clash serves as the co-main event. Former champion Robert Whittaker will take on Marvin Vettori.
Here's a look at the complete card for the historic event.
UFC Fight Night 209 Fight Card, Schedule and Odds
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Main Card (ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET)
Ciryl Gane (-580; bet $580 to win $100) vs. Tai Tuivasa (+440, bet $100 to win $440)
Robert Whittaker (-195) vs. Marvin Vettori (+165)
Alessio Di Chirico (+105) vs. Roman Kopylov (-115)
John Makdessi (+210) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (-250)
William Gomis (-215) vs. Jarno Errens (+185)
Charles Jourdain (-145) vs. Nathaniel Wood (+125)
Prelims (ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET)
Abusupiyan Magomedov (-285) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+240)
Farès Ziam (+165) vs. Michal Figlak (-195)
Nassourdine Imavov (-240) vs. Joaquin Buckley (+200)
Benoît Saint-Denis (-340) vs. Gabriel Miranda (+280)
Khalid Taha (-120) vs. Christian Quiñonez (+100)
Stephanie Egger (-255) vs. Ailin Perez (+215)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Gane vs. Tuivasa
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This is obviously a huge moment for Ciryl Gane as he gets to fight in his home country. The French striker will undoubtedly have the support of the live audience in a friendly environment.
Regardless of location, Gane would be the major favorite in this spot. The kickboxer has a sophisticated striking game along with defense and movement rarely seen by heavyweights in the division.
Distance management is going to be the name of the game here. Tuivasa has the one-punch power to turn the fight on a dime, but he has to get into position to unleash that punch. That's not easy against Gane.
The one thing that could make things interesting is if Tuivasa tried to take Gane down. That's not likely to happen based on his history, but it's a hole in Gane's game that Francis Ngannou exposed.
If he doesn't, he's likely in for an exasperating cat-and-mouse game with Gane. Expect the Frenchman to stick behind his jab and leg kicks on his way to a decision victory.
Prediction: Gane via decision
Whittaker vs. Vettori
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The middleweight co-main event between Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori isn't just a fun, stylistic chess match, it's a battle to stay relevant in the division.
Both Whittaker and Vettori have suffered recent losses to Israel Adesanya. While Vettori has since bounced back with a win over Paulo Costa, this will be Bobby Knuckles' first trip back into the Octagon.
The losses likely mean that neither is going to get a title shot in the immediate future. But both are too good to be completely irrelevant.
The fact that this is a three-round affair should make things interesting. Whittaker is great at making adjustments as the fight goes on, but he'll only have three rounds to build a lead over Vettori.
The Italian's aggressive pressure could make it difficult for Whittaker to do that convincingly. He actually took down Adesanya four times in their matchup. Whittaker has good takedown defense, but fending off Vettori's advances will take time and condense the rounds.
However, his combination of movement, power and acumen should be enough to help him get the edge.
Prediction: Whittaker via decision
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Kopylov vs. Di Chirico
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The card has a significant drop-off in name recognition once you get past the main and co-main events. Neither Roman Kopylov nor Alessio Di Chirico are ranked in the middleweight division, but both have an opportunity to showcase their skills in the lead-in to the co-main event.
For Kopylov, that means finally putting his striking to work in a winning effort in the UFC. He came to the promotion as a successful fighter in the Fight Nights Global organization.
Unfortunately, his transition to the UFC hasn't gone to plan. He's lost back-to-back fights to start his UFC career and desperately needs to win here if he's going to continue fighting with the promotion.
Di Chirico is much more established in the company, but he's lost four of his last five and is in desperate need of a win.
Ultimately, Kopylov's striking is probably better than any one skill Di Chirico brings to the table. Unless Di Chirico is able to completely neutralize him with his grappling, this seems like a good bounce-back opportunity for Kopylov.
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