Ciryl Gane thinks it makes sense for Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes to fight next to determine the number one heavyweight contender.
On March 4, Gane and Jon Jones will compete for the vacant UFC heavyweight championship after Francis Ngannou parted ways with the promotion. Now that Ngannou is out of the picture, the heavyweight division is suddenly unpredictable.
It’s unclear who will get the next title shot after Jones and Gane determine the new heavyweight king. During an interview with James Lynch of MiddleEasy, ‘Bon Gamin’ was asked about Pavlovich and Blaydes potentially fighting to determine the number one contender. He responded by saying:
“Yeah, this makes sense. This makes sense. These guys are really legit. Pavlovich and Blaydes for the belt… It’s not gonna be easy for Curtis Blaydes because he’s a great striker, but sometimes he likes to go to the wrestling, but I think it’s not a good idea with Pavlovich because he can punch him with some uppercuts, something like that. I don’t know exactly. Everything is possible with this fight.”
Since losing to Derick Lewis in February 2021, Blaydes has won three consecutive fights against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Chris Daukaus, and Tom Aspinall. ‘Razor’ is currently the number four-ranked heavyweight.
Meanwhile, Pavlovich skyrocketed to the number three ranking after securing three first-round finishes in 2022 – Shamil Abdurakhimov, Derrick Lewis, and Tai Tuivasa. The 30-year-old Russian has emerged as arguably the most dangerous heavyweight in the UFC.
If Pavlovich and Blaydes end up fighting for a title shot, the winner can expect to meet Gane in France, assuming ‘Bon Gamin’ beats Jones on March 4.
Watch James Lynch interview Ciryl Gane below:
Ciryl Gane wants his first title defense in France
Ciryl Gane last fought against Tai Tuivasa in the UFC’s first event in France. The crowd was electric and provided one of the best atmospheres in combat sports history. During the same interview with MiddleEasy, ‘Bon Gamin’ was asked about potentially having his first title defense in France if he beats Jon Jones. The former interim heavyweight champion responded by saying:
“Yeah, I want to do that. I want to do that for my crowd, for my fans.”
Before focusing on defending the heavyweight title, Gane has a tough test against one of the greatest fighters of all time. Jones hasn’t fought since February 2020 as he’s slowly prepared for his heavyweight debut.
‘Bones’ is looking to silence the doubters and solidify himself as the greatest fighter of all time by becoming the heavyweight champion. That said, Gane believes he can take out Jones and leave UFC 285 as a certified superstar.
