Ciryl Gane Carves Up Sergey Spivak in UFC Fight Night 226 Heavyweight Headliner

Ciryl Gane operated on an entirely different level from the man on the other side of the cage.

The 33-year-old Frenchman steadied himself among the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight elite, as he tracked down and systematically dismantled Sergey Spivak in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 226 headliner on Saturday at Accor Arena. Spivak (16-4, 7-4 UFC) met his end 3:44 into Round 2, losing for the first time in nearly two years.

Gane (12-2, 9-2 UFC), in his first appearance since being throttled by Jon Jones in March, was virtually flawless in his execution. He shut down an attempted takedown from Spivak with his sprawl in the first round and never looked back. Gane abused the Moldovan with clubbing shots to the head and body, targeted the legs on occasion and broke him down piece by piece. He pinned Spivak to the fence late in Round 2 and slammed a brutal knee into his guts, setting off the finishing sequence. Standing hammerfists interspersed with savage punches to the head and body went unanswered, leading referee Marc Goddard to call for the stoppage.

Fiorot Downs Namajunas, Pushes Streak to 11

Boxing Squad’s Manon Fiorot took another step toward a potential title shot at 125 pounds with a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 20 finalist Rose Namajunas in the three-round women’s flyweight co-main event. Fiorot (11-1, 6-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the cageside judges.

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The 31-year-old Namajunas (11-6, 9-5 UFC), a two-time UFC women’s strawweight champion, could not close the size and strength gap present between the two combatants. An apparent finger injury did not help matters for “Thug Rose.” Fiorot tipped her spear with a punishing jab, intermittent combinations, a few side kicks to the body and impenetrable takedown defense. Frustration grew for Namajunas as time wore on. An accidental clash of heads resulted in a cut above Fiorot’s right ear, but she paid the considerable blood loss no mind, went about her business like a pro and perhaps cemented herself as the No. 1 contender in waiting in the women’s flyweight division.

Fiorot now finds herself on an 11-fight winning streak.

Surging St. Denis Mauls Moises

Benoit St. Denis turned away former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Thiago Moises with punches in the second round of their lightweight showcase. Moises (17-7, 6-5 UFC) checked out 4:44 into Round 2, losing for the third time in five appearances.

St. Denis (12-1, 4-1 UFC) seized the reins at the start and never let them go. The Woirin Team Elite export within the first five minutes threw punches with conviction, crowded Moises in the clinch, struck for a takedown an opened a cut near the Brazilian’s right eye with a standing-to-ground elbow strike. Not much changed in the middle stanza. St. Denis bullied the American Top Team mainstay to the floor, heated up his ground-and-pound again and drew the curtain with a volley of unanswered right hands to the head.

An emerging threat at 155 pounds, St. Denis has recorded four straight wins.

Oezdemir Choke Foils Guskov

Allstars Training Center export Volkan Oezdemir rebounded from an Oct. 22 loss to Nikita Krylov, as he disposed of Bogdan Guskov with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their light heavyweight attraction. A short-notice replacement for Azamat Murzakanov, Guskov (14-3, 0-1 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 3:46 into Round 1.

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Oezdemir (19-7, 7-6 UFC) surprised the Uzbekistan native with a takedown inside the first 90 seconds, reset in open space after they returned to their feet and checked the chin with a sweeping left hook. Guskov retreated backward, but there was nowhere to hide. Oezdemir connected with another left hook, followed it with an uppercut and drove his counterpart to the canvas. From there, the Swiss veteran advanced to the back, bit down on the choke and elicited the tapout.

It was Oezdemir’s first submission victory since April 7, 2012.

Controversial Gomis Strike Stops Ghemmouri

William Gomis put away onetime Sparta Fight Series champion Yani Ghemmouri with a body kick that appeared to stray south of the border in the third round of their featherweight feature. Referee Loic Pora waved it off 2:20 into Round 3, the controversial result likely to inspire conversation and derision in the days and weeks ahead.

The 26-year-old Gomis (13-2, 3-0 UFC) controlled a majority of the match with kicks to the body and legs, clever movement and occasional combinations. His work managed to keep Ghemmouri (12-2, 0-1 UFC) off-balance and out of gear, forcing the Climax Fight Academy to resort to largely ineffective clinches in which neither man separated himself. .

Gomis will ride an 11-fight winning streak into his next assignment.

Charrier Kicks Wreck Zecchini

Former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Morgan Charriere buried Manolo Zecchini with a series of brutal body kicks and follow-up punches in the first round of their featherweight appetizer. Zecchini (11-4, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 3:51 into Round 1, suffering his first stoppage defeat in more than three years.

Charriere (19-9-1, 1-0 UFC) was calm and composed despite the emotional setting of his promotional debut. The Frenchman countered beautifully and operated behind an educated jab, waiting for openings to present themselves. Zecchini obliged. Charriere connected with three body kicks, one behind the other, and then doubled over the Italian newcomer with a front kick to the guts. Another round kick to the midsection and punches followed, prompting referee Rich Mitchell to act.

The 27-year-old Charrier has won four fights in a row, three of them finishes.

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