UFC Fight Night 209: "Gane vs Tuivasa" Live Play-By-Play & ResultsThe Ultimate Fighting Championship made its debut at Accor Arena in Paris, France tonight for UFC Fight Night 209: “Gane vs Tuivasa.” The card was headlined by a heavyweight contender’s bout between former interim champ Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane and knockout artist Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa.

In the middleweight co-main event, former UFC champion Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker battled long-time contender Marvin “The Italian Dream” Vettori. Also at 185 pounds, Alessio “Manzo” Di Chirico took on Roman Kopylov. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for UFC Fight Night 209.

 

Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane vs Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa

Round 1:
Gane kicked at Tuivasa’s lead leg early in the fight. Tuivasa landed a leg kick of his own and Gane replied with a body kick. Tuivasa scored with an overhand right and a body kick. Gane resumed kicking at Tuivasa’s lead leg and he followed with a head kick. Tuivasa blocked it and countered with a right cross. Close opening round. 10-9 Gane.

Round 2:
Tuivasa landed a right cross in the second round and Gane answered with a body kick. Gane jabbed and landed more kicks to Tuivasa’s lead leg. He scored with a straight left hand, but Tuivasa stuffed a takedown and then dropped Gane with a right hook. Tuivasa closed in with punches, but Gane hurt him with a series of kicks to the liver. Tuivasa fired off two winging right hands and Gane kneed him in the body. He jabbed and followed with a head kick. Another close, back-and-forth round. 10-9 Gane despite the knockdown.

Round 3:
Gane stayed at range and threw jabs and outside-leg kicks in round three. More jabs landed for Gane and he followed with two front kicks to the body. A third one hurt Tuivasa and Gane tried to finish him off, but Tuivasa threw a winging right hand in return and Gane backed away. He snapped Tuivasa’s head back with jabs and attacked his body with front kicks. Tuivasa was hurt again, but he stayed on his feet. A right hook froze Tuivasa in place and Gane threw more punches until a left uppercut sent Tuivasa crashing to the canvas and ended the fight.

Winner: Ciryl Gane by KO (Punches) at 4:23 of round three. He improves to 11-1-0.

 

Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker vs Marvin “The Italian Dream” Vettori

Round 1:
Whittaker countered a leg kick from Vettori with a right hook and the fighters traded jabs during the ensuing minute. Vettori landed a jab-cross combo and he initiated a clinch. Whittaker broke free and he jabbed while circling to his left. Whittaker landed two lead left hooks and a straight right. He closed out the round with a knee. 10-9 Whittaker due to the late rally.

Round 2:
The fighters continued to trade jabs and lead hooks in the second round. Whittaker mixed in head and body kicks, and he landed a head kick that stunned Vettori momentarily. Whittaker landed straight rights and he attempted another head kick. The fighters exchanged leg kicks and Whittaker landed a jab-cross combo to finish the round. 10-9 Whittaker.

Round 3:
Vettori landed a left cross and he stepped back to avoid a head kick from Whittaker. A second Whittaker head kick landed, and so did a knee soon after. Whittaker scored with a right cross and then ducked under a Vettori head kick. Vettori shot in for a takedown and Whittaker shrugged him off. He landed an overhand right and attempted a head kick. With one minute remaining, Whittaker took Vettori down. Vettori scrambled and stood up, but he ate an uppercut along the way. Whittaker landed a lead left hook late in the fight. 10-9 Whittaker.

Winner: Robert Whittaker by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 24-6-0.

 

Nassourdine Imavov vs Joaquin “New Mansa” Buckley

Round 1:
Buckley circled on the outside and kicked at Imavov’s lead leg during the opening minute. Imavov landed an uppercut and Buckley clinched with him momentarily. Imavov stuffed a Buckley takedown attempt and he landed a left hook after catching a body kick. Imavov jabbed and then backed up to avoid a four-punch combo from Buckley. After a clinch, Imavov landed a right hand and he reversed a takedown into mount. Imavov briefly struck from the top and Buckley gave up his back. 10-9 Imavov.

Round 2:
Imavov was the aggressor in the second round, but time was called when Buckley was poked in the eye. Action resumed and Buckley landed a hard left-right combo. Imavov landed two right hands to Buckley’s jaw and then took him down. He moved to Buckley’s back and trapped him in a body triangle, then worked for rear-naked chokes and a neck crank late in the round. 10-9 Imavov.

Round 3:
Imavov struck first with an uppercut in the final round and he ducked under a looping left hook from Buckley. Imavov took Buckley’s back and dragged him down to the mat. Buckley stood up and turned into the clinch. He pushed Imavov away and landed a lead left hand. Imavov began to slow down and Buckley kept the pressure on him with lead right hooks and straight lefts. He fought off an Imavov clinch attempt, but Imavov tied him up again and landed an elbow on the break. Buckley sprawled out of a takedown and landed a hard knee to Imavov’s nose. The fight ended with Buckley charging at Imavov with looping punches and Imavov clinched. 10-9 Buckley.

Winner: Nassourdine Imavov by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 12-3-0.

 

Roman Kopylov vs Alessio “Manzo” Di Chirico

Round 1:
Little transpired in the opening two minutes as the fighters looked to find their range with jabs. Kopylov slipped while throwing a head kick and Di Chirico chased after him as he stood up. Kopylov circled away and he resumed moving forward. A body kick landed for Kopylov and he followed with a lead right hook. Di Chirico blocked a head kick, but Kopylov drilled him with a flying knee to the face. Di Chirico tried unsuccessfully for a takedown late in the round. 10-9 Kopylov.

Round 2:
Kopylov landed an overhand left and Di Chirico rushed at him with a three-punch combo. He jabbed and landed a right cross that backed Kopylov up momentarily. Di Chirico was unable to take Kopylov down and Kopylov landed a hard kick to the body. He landed another body kick and a stiff jab, but Di Chirico backed him up with two right hooks. A fatigued Kopylov slowed down and Di Chirico landed a front kick to the body before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Di Chirico.

Round 3:
Kopylov landed two body kicks in the final round and Di Chirico backed up. Kopylov stepped forward with a seven-punch combo that dropped Di Chirico face-first to the mat and ended the fight.

Winner: Roman Kopylov by KO (Punches) at 1:09 of round three. He improves to 9-2-0.

 

William “Jaguar” Gomis vs Jarno Errens

Round 1:
Gomis blocked a head kick in the opening minute and he attempted a jumping switch kick soon after. Gomis landed a one-two and he took Errens down into side control. Errens got to full guard and Gomis held him against the base of the cage. Errens eventually got up and both men landed knees to the body in a clinch. They separated and Gomis attempted two head kicks before time expired. 10-9 Gomis.

Round 2:
Errens landed a nice knee in a clinch in the second round. He hurt Gomis soon after with a right hook and Gomis ducked into a head kick. He recovered quickly and took Errens down. Errens managed to get back to his feet in the final two minutes, but Gomis cracked him with punches on the way up. Gomis scored another takedown, but Errens rolled through and held top position for a few seconds. Gomis powered out and stood up, and he kneed Errens in the thigh. Errens attempted to throw Gomis to the mat, but Gomis reversed it and the round ended with him on top. Closer round. 10-9 Gomis.

Round 3:
Power right hands were exchanged early in round three. Gomis landed two of them and a body kick, but Errens countered with a right and Gomis clinched with him. He took Errens down and Errens attempted a guillotine choke from the bottom. Errens let it go and he landed elbows from his back. Gomis punched to Errens’s body and Errens trapped him in a tight triangle choke. He tried to switch it to a triangle armbar, but Gomis managed to pull his head out. 10-9 Errens.

Winner: William Gomis by Majority Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-29) after three rounds. He improves to 11-2-0.

 

Nathaniel “The Prospect” Wood vs Charles “Air” Jourdain

Round 1:
Wood scored a trip takedown in the opening minute. Jourdain eventually got back to his feet and the fighters separated at the midway point in the round. Jourdain landed a high knee and time was called when he was kicked in the groin. Action resumed and Wood stunned Jourdain with a right hook. Jourdain recovered and he jabbed as Wood threw a leg kick and another right hook. Jourdain jabbed until Wood backed him up with a lead left hand. Wood finished the round with a combination of short uppercuts in close. 10-9 Wood.

Round 2:
As Jourdain threw a body kick in round two, Wood caught it and pushed him to the mat. Jourdain stood and Wood landed a nice right hand. Jourdain responded with two hooks to the body and Wood tripped him again. The crowd continued to boo all ground action and that led to a quick standup. Wood landed a right hook and a leg kick, but Jourdain answered back with an overhand left. Jourdain jabbed until Wood landed a hard left hook. Both fighters scored very brief trip takedowns in the final 20 seconds. 10-9 Wood.

Round 3:
Wood took Jourdain down in the final round and held back control momentarily. Jourdain worked back to his feet and he landed a spinning backfist, but Wood took him down again. The fighters stood again and Wood avoided most of Jourdain’s strikes while landing short right hands. Wood landed a front kick to the body and a right cross. More punches were exchanged and Jourdain landed a flying knee. Wood took him down and kept him there until the bell. Close final round. 10-9 Wood.

Winner: Nathaniel Wood by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 19-5-0.

 

(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)