Gane vs Abdurakhimov

Photo credit to FightBook MMA

Gane vs Abdurakhimov targeted for September UFC

Perhaps third time’s the charm for booking Gane vs Abdurakhimov. Ciryl Gane and Shamil Abdurakhimov is in the planning stages for a September 19th heavyweight bout per MMA Junkie. The outlet communicated with an anonymous source close to the situation. The expectation was for Gane to fight Sergei Pavlovich at an August 8th UFC card. Then Pavlovich announced earlier in the week he was dropping out to undergo surgery to repair an old injury. This presented an opening for Shamil Abdurakhimov to step up for the Gane fight.

The Gane vs Abdurakhimov saga has been going on for a few months now. The two were first supposed to fight on April 18th but Gane collapsed his lung in training. The promotion looked to rebook the bout July 11th. Though reasons were undisclosed, Abdurakhimov pulled out of the summer slugfest. After the two failed booking attempts, the UFC matchmakers tried to pivot towards the aforementioned Gane vs Pavlovich matchup.

Gane vs Abdurakhimov

Gane and Abdurakhimov are positioned at number 15 and number 12 per the UFC’s official rankings. Ciryl Gane enters this fight with a spotless record in the Octagon. The former TKO heavyweight champion made a splash on the Canadian MMA circuit before making the move to the UFC stage. Since getting there, the French fighter has collected victories over Raphael Pessoa, Don’Tale Mayes, and Tanner Boser (who is readying for a Fight Island bout soon). In summation, Gane is 6-0 in his overall MMA career with an 83 percent finishing rate.

Abdurakhimov had a three-fight winning streak recently broken by Curtis Blaydes via second round, ground and pound stoppage at UFC 242. The aforementioned winning streak saw the Russian fighter pick up W’s over Chase Sherman, Andrei Arlovski, and Marcin Tybura. The former ADFC heavyweight Grand Prix champion looks to return to his winning ways this Fall. This prizefight represents the first 2020 Octagon appearance for both combatants.

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Dylan Bowker
I've been enamored with combat sports for as long as I can remember. I've hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, Mark Coleman, and more. I've been an MMA broadcaster for XFFC as well as BTC and have done play by play commentary on live pay per view on GFL as well as FITE TV. I've provided written, audio, and video content covering some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage. I've worked as a sports entertainment personality for over five years and given play-by-play or featured promotions of KSW, ONE Championship, TKO, and Invicta FC. My work can be found in the USA Today Sports affiliate MMA Torch, Cageside Press, MMA Sucka, and Liberty Multimedia.