Ciryl Gane put a stop to Tai Tuivasa’s five-fight winning streak in an impressive victory at UFC Paris. However, some people, including Junior dos Santos, believe the No. 1 ranked heavyweight got away with a rather obvious illegal strike.
In the final minute of round three, Gane landed a perfect right that rocked Tai Tuivasa. With ‘Bam Bam’ wobbled, Gane began unloading strikes. Gane landed multiple shots looking for the finish, but a hammer fist blow seemed to get a majority of the attention. ‘Bon Gamin’ delivered the brutal hammer fist to what appeared to be the back of Tuivasa’s head. Clearly stated in the Unified Rules of MMA, strikes to the back of the head or neck are considered illegal.
Ciryl Gane’s former opponent, Junior dos Santos was fairly upset with what Gane was allowed to get away with and called out the fighter on social media.
“What a dirty fighter this Gane is,” dos Santos said on Twitter. “Again hitting the back of the head. And now what are those ‘fight experts’ will say about it?”
Que cara sujo esse Gane
— Junior Dos Santos (@junior_cigano) September 4, 2022
De novo batendo na nuca, o que esses “especialistas” vão dizer agora?
.
What a dirty fighter this Gane is
Again hitting the back of the head
Nad now what are those “fight experts” will say about it? @ufc @danawhite pic.twitter.com/EP6NUlwmWs
This Isn’t The First Time Ciryl Gane Has Been Accused of a ‘Dirty’ Shot
At UFC 256 in 2020, former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos faced Ciryl Gane in what turned out to be the final fight of his career inside the Octagon. That night, Gane landed an elbow that looked like a blatant shot to the back of the head. The strike immediately downed ‘Cigano’ forcing a stop to the action. Fans and fighters called out Ciryl Gane for what seemed like a clear illegal shot, but nothing came of it.
December 21, 2019
— Ocelot MMA (@Ocelot_MMA) August 30, 2022
Gane remains active and defeats Tanner Boser via UD in Korea. pic.twitter.com/QRexPpRRzV
With that being Junior dos Santos’ fourth loss in a row, ‘Cigano’ was released from the UFC.
“I reacted with surprise, [and] I was a little bit impressed by the coldness of how they treated the case,” dos Santos told MMA Fighting. “I know it’s a business, [but] they just don’t care. The history we did in there and everything else, the dedication and how everything have always played out, was totally disregarded.”
‘Cigano’ also revealed that the UFC didn’t even have the common courtesy to contact him directly to inform him of his release from the promotion. He had to be told through Dan Lambert, the founder of American Top Team where JDS trains.
“The UFC didn’t even talk to me. For example, [UFC President] Dana White, I haven’t talked to him in years. Not to ask anything or know anything. They didn’t even talk to me. [UFC] texted Dan [Lambert] of American Top Team, and it got to me that their decision was to release me from my contract.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWZpwm_81w8&feature=emb_title
