UFC Fight Night Paris: Gane vs. Tuivasa
Saturday, 9/3/2022 @ 12:00pm (ESPN+)
Main Event: Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane vs. Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa
Co-Main: Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker vs. Marvin “The Italian Dream” Vettori
FIGHT CARD PREVIEW:
For the first time in the company’s near 30-year history, the UFC Octagon will be heading to Paris, France with a stacked card in front of a sold-out crowd at the Accor Arena. This will also mark the first significant MMA event to take place in the country since the sport was legalized in 2020.
The card features the top French MMA fighter in the world (and consensus #2 ranked HW), Ciryl Gane, in the headliner against fellow heavyweight Tai Tuivasa (#4 ranked). In addition, there are 11 other exciting fights that are scheduled to go down in the French capital city.
In our “UFC Paris” betting preview, we will take you through our team’s best bets for this historic Fight Night card. So, let’s get into it…
OUR STAFF’S BEST BETS:
Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Gabriel Miranda
UFC Paris: Saint-Denis vs. Miranda prediction from Tapology Fight Predictions.
Winner: Benoit Saint-Denis (93%)
Method of Victory: Submission (43%)
In the 3rd scheduled bout of the card, we have a matchup between two submission specialists. After losing his UFC debut as a welterweight (170lbs), Benoit Saint-Denis decided to move down a weight class and into the lightweight division (155lbs) where he scored a decisive submission win over Niklas Stolze back in June. Meanwhile, Gabriel Miranda will be making his UFC debut after winning 7 of his last 8 fights by submission in other prior organizations.
While Miranda does have a ton of fighting experience outside the Octagon, bolstering an overall MMA record of 15-6 as a professional, Saint-Denis benefits from having a few UFC fights under his belt and should hold the grappling advantage if/when the fight does hit the mat. As solid as Miranda has looked in his previous fights, the “God of War” has faced much tougher competition so far in his young MMA career which has made him a significantly better fighter. Not to mention that Miranda is coming in on short notice and hasn’t fought in over a year. Our staff thinks that Miranda is in for a reality check when he steps into the octagon, so we’re sticking with the odds and backing Saint-Denis to win in front of his home crowd.
The Pick: Benoit Saint-Denis ML (-215) at MyBookie
Charles Jourdain vs. Nathaniel Wood
UFC Paris: Jourdain vs. Wood prediction from Tapology Fight Predictions.
Winner: Jourdain (72%)
Method of Victory: KO/TKO (45%)
Kicking off the Main Card, we should have an old fashion Donnybrooke on our hands with these two wildly entertaining Featherweights, who are well known for putting on absolute BANGERS… and we expect nothing less on Saturday afternoon in Paris. Both fighters will enter this weekend’s bout with the same goal in mind, putting on a stellar performance and continuing their ascension up the ranks of the highly competitive Featherweight division.
As for who we think will come out on top, our staff sees “Air Jourdain” as having the edge (albeit a slight one) on both the feet and on the mat. In each of his previous 9 UFC fights, Jourdain has shown a complete willingness to take part in some wild striking exchanges and has yet to be knocked out in his career. The same cannot be said about his opponent, Wood, who has been knocked out twice in his 7 fight UFC career. Both are high-octane fighters who don’t really focus on their defense much at all, so the fight should produce some real fireworks. That being said, we’ll be putting our money on the more experienced fighter and the more proven chin.
The Pick: Charles Jourdain by KO/TKO (+235) at BetOnline
William Gomis vs. Jarno Errens
UFC Paris: Gomis vs. Errens prediction from Tapology Fight Predictions.
Winner: Gomis (93%)
Method of Victory: KO/TKO (57%)
Two exciting fighters will make their UFC debuts this weekend. William Gomis (10-2) is set to fight Jarno Errens (13-3-1) on the main card of UFC Fight Night Paris. William Gomis will have the opportunity of a lifetime as he’ll get to start his UFC journey on home soil. The 25-year-old is coming off 8 straight wins and has finished 6 of those fights. The Frenchman will look to take the next step in his career and begin his run in the UFC with a win.
Jarno Errens will also have his first UFC bout this Saturday as well. Although he’s not been in as good of a form as his opponent, Errens has remained nearly unbeaten in 4 of his last 5 fights. Errens may be the more experienced fighter on paper, but it’s Gomis who comes into Saturday’s bout with soaring momentum and the hometown crowd.