Ciryl Gane has been accused of throwing an illegal punch to the back of Tai Tuivasa's head in his recent knockout victory at UFC Paris.
Former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos believes Gane was able to stop Tuivasa after a back-and-forth brawl thanks in part to a punch that is against the unified MMA rules. Tuivasa had put Gane down in the second round, but the Frenchman was able to rally and stop his rival in the third to send his hometown crowd into hysterics.
However, there now appears to be controversy around one of the punches thrown to stop the fight, with Dos Santos publicly speaking out in favour of Tuivasa. The Australian opted not to make a big deal of the illegal blow, which is a common occupational hazard in MMA fights, but Dos Santos took a similar shot in their 2020 bout and is keen to highlight the move.
In a tweet after the fight, Dos Santos said: "What a dirty fighter this Gane is. Again hitting the back of the head. And now what are those 'fight experts' will say about it?"
Gane had already turned the tide of the fight by the time he entered the finishing sequence, but did appear to throw an illegal hammer-fist which caught Tuivasa on the back of the head. He followed it up with a left uppercut which put the Australian down and the fight was stopped shortly afterwards.
Do you agree with Junior Dos Santos' call on Ciryl Gane's illegal punch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Fans were divided in the comments of Dos Santos' post, with some feeling that Dos Santos should let their 2020 meeting go, while others agreed that it was a dirty move. "I noticed that too," one wrote. "Shameful, cuz [sic] it's clearly a foul, that made the difference." Another added: "I agree with you on that, seems like an illegal shot, but had the ref took a point from Gane and give Tai the chance to fight longer, it would have only gotten worse for him."
However, the majority of responses seemed to veer towards feeling that Dos Santos, a legendary former world champion who now fights in Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC, is just bitter over his loss. "Sit this one out Junior please," said one fan. "Didn’t realise Junior was such a sore loser," another wrote.
Gane is now solidified at No.1 in the heavyweight division, with No.2 Stipe Miocic expected to face the legendary former light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones for the interim title in December. However, some fans felt that with his thunderous Paris victory, the Frenchman should now be given the shot at Jones if he is able to return in time for the Las Vegas showdown.
