The UFC will pack a big punch for its Paris debut when top-10 heavyweight strikers Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa headline Fight Night on Saturday.
The fights at Accor Arena are on ESPN+, with the 3 p.m. ET main card preceded by prelims at noon.
Gane (10-1) will be trying to bounce back from the only loss of his career, which came at the hands of UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a January title fight. The 32-year-old Frenchman had won seven in a row in the Octagon prior to that defeat, and he’s still No. 2 in the ESPN heavyweight rankings.
The fifth-ranked Tuivasa (14-3) has won five fights in a row, all by knockout. His most recent win was his biggest, a second-round KO of two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis. Tuivasa is 29 and from Australia.
The co-main event pits former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker against Marvin Vettori, who last year made an unsuccessful challenge fo current champ Israel Adesanya.
How to watch the fights
Stream all of the fights on ESPN+: Download the ESPN App
Don’t have ESPN+? Get it here.
There’s also FightCenter, which offers live updates for every UFC card.
Saturday’s UFC fight card
ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET
Heavyweight: Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori
Middleweight: Alessio Di Chirico vs. Roman Kopylov
Lightweight: John Makdessi vs. Nasrat Haqparast
Men’s featherweight: William Gomis vs. Jarno Errens
Men’s featherweight: Charles Jourdain vs. Nathaniel Wood
ESPN+, 12 p.m. ET
Middleweight: Dustin Stoltzfus vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
Lightweight: Fares Ziam vs. Michal Figlak
Middleweight: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Joaquin Buckley
Lightweight: Benoît Saint Denis vs. Gabriel Miranda
Men’s bantamweight: Khalid Taha vs. Christian Quiñonez
Women’s featherweight: Ailin Perez vs. Stephanie Egger
Reed Kuhn’s betting tip
The stat line shows a lot of performance advantages for Gane. He’s faced a string of dangerous strikers, while Tuivasa has taken advantage of fighters with poor defense. Gane is a different animal. An experienced striker, he has some of the best head strike avoidance in the division, and his range will help him stay clear of danger.
For Kuhn’s suggested bet on the main event and his advice on other fights on Saturday’s card, check out the ESPN+ expert picks and best bets article, published on Thursday. It also features analysis by an MMA coach and ESPN’s other betting expert, Ian Parker.
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