Gane KOs Tuivasa in 3rd round of wild UFC Paris main event

Top-ranked heavyweight Ciryl Gane took down Tai Tuivasa with a third-round knockout after a wild back-and-forth battle in the main event of UFC Paris on Saturday.

The Frenchman's victory in the first-ever UFC event in France sent the crowd into a frenzy.

The opening stanza went as expected, with Gane using his speed and footwork advantage to keep Tuivasa at range. But the fight quickly erupted into chaos during the second in a round-of-the-year contender.

Tuivasa found the big shot he was looking for to drop Gane to the ground before jumping on him. A wobbled Gane fought back and folded Tuivasa with a body kick. The Australian then immediately returned fire with another huge shot to again hurt the Frenchman.

Gane picked up the pace in the third round and displayed top-level patience, continuously attacking Tuivasa's body with kicks and following up with jabs up top. The relentless body attacks finally took a toll on Tuivasa, who started to swing desperately. Gane clipped Tuivasa with a punch to the chin before unloading on him to earn the finish.

Gane said postfight that he wants another shot at the UFC heavyweight title. He suffered his first career loss to champion Francis Ngannou in a unification bout in January, with Ngannou grinding out a unanimous decision win in an uncharacteristic fashion.

Ngannou is currently sidelined until early 2023 after undergoing knee surgery. His contract with the UFC is expected to end toward the start of next year, putting his future with the company in doubt following a long-standing dispute over his pay.

With the win Saturday, Gane moves to 11-1 in his career and 8-1 inside the Octagon.

Tuivasa, meanwhile, ended his five-fight win streak. He previously knocked out Derrick Lewis in February and Augusto Sakai last December to propel him into the heavyweight division's top tier.