It’s a fight night on October 17 in Abu Dhabi. Ciryl Gane is schedule against another MMA veteran, Ante Delija in the co-main event, and we have picks and predictions ready for you. Hopefully, this week’s co-main event is going to be a better show than last week’s. There’s nothing interesting about watching two out-of-shape fighters, is there? However, Gane and Delija, a rising star and a UFC rookie, are a more promising duo than what we had to watch last week.
Gane comes out as much more “polished” fighter
While most heavyweights are not a definition of being in shape, at least not cardio-wise, Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane is as good as it gets. He is both shredded and agile and looks more like an NFL defender than UFC fighter. Ciryl is currently No. 12 in the heavyweight rankings. Apart from being a great athlete, Ciryl is also a good fighter, coming from kickboxing and Muay Thai background prior to entering MMA. Combination of speed, technical proficiency and ability to combine kicks, elbows and hands from all angles, gives him an edge for upcoming fight. Three of his six victories come from a submission, so he is also adapting to grappling and wrestling.
Delija has wins behind, but is relatively unknown in North America
His opponent, Ante “Walking Trouble” Delija is a very strong 30-year-old Croatian fighter, but somewhat unknown to North American fans. However, Delija is a KSW, PFL, Rizin and M-1 veteran with many fights behind him. This guy won eight of last nine fights in various promotions, prior to coming to UFC. Delija had a fight against Marcin Tybura which he lost, but he held strong. In his fight against Oli Thompson Delija showed good performance and won by second-round TKO. Is he getting himself in a round of Betsafe roulette with the fight against Gane? Predictions say yes, but let’s see the night of the game. UFC is never short of surprises.
UFC predictions and betting picks
Since Delija was mostly under the radar so far, it is hard to find a good footage of him fighting to be analysed, making his fighting skills not completely known. From little footage that is available online, Delija seems to have plenty of stopping power, but Gane comes up as much better fighter in technical terms. With all this in mind, predictions say Gane will win by points, and with a -590 tag on his win means there is not much betting value here. His opponent comes back at +410.
However, although he’s a big guy, Gane is missing one-punch finishes in his career, and most of his fights were fought with distance. In his previous bout with Mayes, he was very close to final bell before he went down and won via submission. In fact, Gane only had two knockout victories, one against Roggers Souza and the other against Adam Dyczka. Both strikes were landed precisely, but they didn’t send the opponents rushing to the ground immediately. In his match against Delija, Gane will want to attack with more power and get himself some distance, as Croatian fighter will not be as easy target as it may seem so.
UFC event is held in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 17, headlined by Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung, “The Korean Zombie”.
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