UFC Paris: Co-main eventers bid to shine in France

The UFC heads to Paris this weekend determined to put on a show for mixed martial arts (MMA) fans in France.

The country’s ban on MMA was lifted in 2020, but this will be the first time the world’s top promotion has staged an event there.

Read on as we preview the two co-main events, starting with a bout that could earn the winner a shot at the middleweight title.

Robert Whittaker vs Marvin Vettori

Israel Adesanya continues to dominate the landscape in the middleweight division and is running out of viable challengers for the title.

Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori have each previously faced Adesanya on two occasions and neither fighter has been able to record a victory.

The pair go head-to-head this weekend aiming to secure a third meeting with ‘The Last Stylebender’ and another shot at the middleweight belt.

Vettori bounced back from his defeat against Adesanya at UFC 263 with an impressive victory over Paolo Costa last October.

That fight was at light-heavyweight, but Vettori recently told Betway that he wants to ‘win at 185 lbs first’ before stepping up in weight again.

The Italian produced an excellent performance against Costa, particularly during the latter stages of the fight, and could be tough to beat in Paris.

Whittaker is the favourite to win the fight, but he took plenty of punishment from Adesanya at UFC 271 and may be vulnerable this weekend.

With age also on his side, Vettori looks a good bet to beat Whittaker and earn himself another opportunity to face the current champion.

Ciryl Gane vs Tai Tuivasa

Ciryl Gane will be backed a vociferous home crowd as he bids to bounce back to winning ways in the heavyweight division against Tai Tuivasa.

Gane recorded 10 successive victories to earn a title shot against Francis Ngannou at UFC 270, but was beaten by unanimous decision.

The 32-year-old was ahead after the first two rounds, but Ngannou switched to wrestling and controlled the rest of contest.

He will undoubtedly be eager to showcase his title credentials when he faces Tuivasa and is a big favourite to get the job done.

However, the Australian has been on a steep upward curve in his last few fights, rattling off five successive victories by knockout.

Tuivasa had lost three in a row prior to that run, but he has looked every inch a title contender since taking some time out of the sport.

He has picked up Performance of the Night bonuses in each of his last three outings and has the punching power to trouble Gane in Paris.

UFC Paris – Main Card

The event will be broadcast live around the world this weekend and fans can easily access reliable UFC streams to catch all the action.

Staff Report