Gane TKOs Spivac at UFC Paris to rebound from Jones loss

Ciryl Gane stopped Serghei Spivac via TKO in Round 2 of the UFC Paris headliner Saturday, marking a triumphant return to action after his first-round loss to Jon Jones in March.

Gane picked apart his opponent on the feet throughout the fight, which referee Marc Goddard waved off at 3:44 of the second stanza. "Bon Gamin" fended off Spivac's attempts to grapple, allowing him to capitalize on his kickboxing prowess.

Despite being ranked No. 2 at heavyweight, Gane entered the Octagon facing more questions than ever after Jones exposed his grappling deficiencies to win UFC gold. Before Jones, Francis Ngannou outwrestled Gane in a championship fight in January 2022.

Gane, the face of French MMA, is now 12-2 as a professional and undefeated in nontitle fights. He headlined the inaugural UFC Fight Night in Paris one year ago, defeating Tai Tuivasa with a thrilling knockout.

Spivac entered the cage riding a three-fight winning streak and was coming off a submission victory over perennial contender Derrick Lewis. He's now 16-4 after incurring his first loss since Tom Aspinall knocked him out two years ago.