UFC 256 has another big fight when heavyweights Junior dos Santos and Ciryl Gane clash. Dos Santos is without a win since his TKO victory over Derrick Lewis in March 2019, whereas his opponent, Gane is on a tear. 6-0 in his professional career, with a UFC record of 3-0, Gane is a scary prospect.
UFC 256 will be headlined by a women’s featherweight title bout between the GOAT, Amanda Nunes and the ever exciting, Megan Anderson. The co-main event sees bantamweights clash for the belt when Petr Yan meets Aljamain Sterling.
Cigano
Junior dos Santos is one of the most recognisable faces in the UFC. Debuting back in 2008 when he knocked out Fabricio Werdum, he burst onto the scene with a number of brutal knockouts. Finishing his first five UFC fights via KO/TKO, Cigano announced himself in a big way. Since capturing the heavyweight belt from Cain Valasquez in 2011, dos Santos has alternated wins and losses, only notching consecutive wins from 2018-2019.
Despite a title shot against Stipe Miocic and three back to back wins in main events, ‘Cigano’ has been out of luck recently. He’s suffered three knockout losses in his most recent three bouts. Granted, these have come against Francis Ngannou, Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, some of the divisions elite.
Bon Gamin
Arguably the most exciting heavyweight prospect in the sport today, Ciryl Gane has burst onto the UFC scene in style. Notching two submission victories in his first two fights, despite seemingly preferring the stand-up, Gane has been impressive thus far. Most recently he defeated Tanner Boser by unanimous decision, the first time he has gone 15 minutes.
Gane has been scheduled to fight four times since then, however, all of these fights have fallen off. Most recently he was scheduled to compete at UFC on ESPN+ 38, although his opponent didn’t get clearance.
The match-up at UFC 256 certainly marks a set-up in competition for Gane. Dos Santos is one of the most experienced guys on the roster. With 29 total fights, 22 of which have been for the UFC, dos Santos has seen it all. Are the UFC rushing the Frenchman into a bout with the experienced dos Santos too soon? Or is it an opportunity for ‘Bon Gamin’ to burst onto the scene and truly announce himself as a heavyweight contender? Only time will tell…
