This weekend’s UFC Fight Night sees Ciryl Gane taking on Sergey Spivak in the main event. The co-main event is between Manon Fiorot and Rose Namajunas. Here we look ahead to the action, and tell the best bets to make in our latest UFC betting picks.
What; UFC Fight Night
Main Event; Ciryl Gane vs. Sergey Spivak
Where; Accor Arena, Paris, France
When; Saturday, September 2nd, 2023
Time; 3 pm ET
Saturday’s UFC Fight Night action comes from Paris and makes for a better ET start time than last weekend’s event from Singapore. The Fight Night roadshow can occasionally throw up these issues with different time zones, but the quality of the fights on the card usually makes it worthwhile.
This week is no different, with another top-quality UFC card. France is represented by two home favorites, Ciryl Gane and Manon Fiorot. Both are fighting in the co-main events, meaning there will be a raucous atmosphere when the action gets underway in the Accor Arena. All the fights on the main card can be found on our odds table, along with the latest odds from the best UFC betting sites.
After an impressive unbeaten start to his career in the UFC, home favorite Ciryl Gane has suffered two setbacks lately. Gane has an 11-2 record in the UFC. The two defeats have come in his last three fights. And on both occasions, he was fighting for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
The first defeat came against Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 in January 2022, and the second was to Jon Jones at UFC 285 in March of this year. There’s no disgrace in either loss, but Gane regards himself as an elite fighter in the heavyweight division, so both losses will hurt badly.
In between the defeats, Gane beat Tai Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night 209, back in September 2022. That fight was also in Paris, which Gane won via a knockout in Round 3. So there are still reasons for fans of Gane to be positive.
Standing in the way of the local hero is Sergey Spivak of Moldova. Spivak is the more experienced of the two fighters, with an MMA record of 16-3, although not all of those fights have been within the UFC.
The Moldovan has never fought for the heavyweight title in the UFC organization but was the Heavyweight Champion in the World Warriors Fight Championship.
He comes into this fight in good form, having won his previous three contests. The last of which was a ‘Performance of the Night’ win over Derrick Lewis.
Our Pick
Ciryl Gane is favored to win the fight at UFC Vegas betting odds of -180. This is a far better price than the -800 available on the favorite to win the main event in Singapore last Saturday. Spivak is the outsider to win at +150.
No.2 ranked Gane cannot afford to lose this fight if he wants another shot at the Heavyweight Championship anytime soon. After two defeats at the elite level, he knows he cannot afford any more mistakes.
In the case of No.7 ranked Sergey Spivak, he is the man trying to make a name for himself in the UFC.
The pressure is on the Frenchman, but he will have the support of his home crowd cheering him on. Gane is the bigger man and is also better on his feet. If he can keep the fight vertical, Gane wins.
But if Spivak, the man known as the Polar Bear, can take Gane off his feet and make the fight on the canvas, it could be another defeat for the Frenchman.
For our pick, we’re backing Gane to win by TKO, KO, Submission, or DQ at -110 with BetUS. Spivak is +200 to win by the same method.
The problem is there’s no profit in hedging our bets, so just backing Ciryl Gane makes more sense.
Ciryl Gane to win by TKO, KO, Sub, or DQvs Sergey Spivak
The co-main event sees No.3 ranked Manon Fiorot facing No.2 ranked Rose Namajunas. Like Ciryl Gane, Manon Fiorot is also a home favorite, and she’s also the bookie’s favorite.
Manon Fiorot comes into the flyweight bout with the better record. She currently is 10-1, with Rose Namajunas at 12-5.
In her most recent bout, Fiorot defeated Katlyn Chookagian by Unanimous Decision at UFC 280 in October 2022.
Namajanus has been out of the Octagon for even longer than her upcoming opponent. In her last fight, she lost to Carla Esparza in May 2022 for the UFC Strawweight Championship at UFC 274.
Our Picks
We feel that Fiorot is the bigger hitter of the two, but question marks about her ability on the ground still exist.
If Rose Namajunas is on her game, then she could challenge Fiorot, especially if she can take the fight to the floor.
The main problem with picking Namajunas to win is we don’t know what to expect from her when she turns up. And her extended run outside of the Octagon has done little to erase those doubts.
If Namajunas turns up and performs, she is well worth backing to win. We just don’t know if she will. So, for those reasons, we have to play it safe and go for Manon Fiorot to win by decision at +125.
Dean has been writing betting tips for websites now for over 15 years. He started out writing and editing his own publications, but has now expanded to publishing articles on various well known websites where he covers everything from hot dog eating competitions to casino reviews.
Over the years Dean has learnt to adapt his skills. Using his extensive sports knowledge and his British sense of humor, Dean has developed into a trusted voice in the betting industry.