PARIS – Ciryl Gane’s strategy for Tai Tuivasa is simple: Hit and not get hit.
Gane (10-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) headlines UFC Fight Night 209 on Saturday against Tuivasa (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at Accor Arena in Paris. The card streams on ESPN+.
Tuivasa is coming into the fight having knocked out five opponents in a row, which makes him a big threat for Gane. But the former interim champion plans on using his height and reach advantage to keep Tuivasa at bay.
“He’s really dangerous, and everybody knows this,” Gane told reporters at Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 209 media day. “And he proved it. He’s on a good run. He finished every opponent. He’s really dangerous in his striking, so I must be focused.
“(I’ll use) ‘Bon Gamin’ style: the footwork, manage distance, touch and never get touched. That’s it.”
However, being that this is the UFC’s first show in France and Gane will be defending home turf, the Frenchman wants to ramp up his aggression in hopes of scoring a knockout win.
Both fighters’ most recent wins came over two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis, but Gane says Tuivasa is a little more active than the promotion’s leader in knockout wins.
“I want to put more volume than usual,” Gane said. “So I want to stop the fight before the end because we will probably be really tired together, both, and I expect this kind of fight.
“A lot of people compare him with Derrick Lewis, but he’s not exactly the same. He can land more punches, make more pressure, (and has) more conditioning, also. So that’s why I say he’s dangerous.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.
