UFC 265 REACTION
Ciryl Gane stuns Derrick Lewis, wins interim HW title
Aug 8, 2021, 3:13 pm
Derrick Lewis took on the undefeated young gun, Ciryl Gane. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images.
Houston fight fans showed up and were loud on Saturday night at UFC 265, unfortunately the hometown hero, Derrick Lewis, did not. Toyota center was packed full of screaming fight fans ready to cheer on Derrick, as he took on the talented Ciryl Gane for the interim Heavyweight Championship. While this matchup was the Main event and the only title fight, several other fights on the main card were just as exciting.
The first fight on the main card went the distance between Bantamweight Song Yadong from China and Casey Kenney out of Portland, Oregon. Yadong, entered the bout at 16-5-1 despite being only 23 years old. While Kenney showed plenty heart, Yadong was convincing in his split decision victory, out striking Kenney 121-85. During the post-fight press conference, Dana White said "If Yadong is this good at 23, imagine how good he will be at 27." Clearly, Yadong has a bright future in the UFC.
The second of 5 bouts on the main card also went the full three rounds between 12-5 Strawweight Tecia Torres and 13-9 Angela Hill. The fight seemed to lean in Tecia's favor right out of the gate. The Tiny Tornado, as she is so rightfully nicknamed, was awarded a unanimous decision victory for her dominance, out striking Hill 166 to 99, with 144 of those strikes being deemed significant.
The first fight that did not go all three rounds was a shocking submission victory for the very impressive welterweight Vicente Luque. Facing off against Michael Chiesa, known for his wrestling abilility, Luque was able to submit the 18-4 veteran Chiesa with a D'arce Choke in the first round, leaving the entire arena in awe. Dana White said after the fight that, Vicente Luque should be in the conversation for best welterweight in the world.
Jose Aldo, a fan favorite was put to the test in the fourth bout. The former UFC Featherweight Champion took on the 19-5 Pedro Munhoz. Munhoz, nicknamed "The Young Punisher", did not live up to his name on this night, as Jose Aldo dominated all three rounds convincingly. Seemingly returning to championship form, Jose Aldo was awarded a unanimous victory for his performance. Aldo, now 30-7 in his career, says he is on a mission to become champion once again.
The night was almost over at Toyota center, but there was still one more huge fight to go. Houston's own Derrick Lewis took on the undefeated young gun, Ciryl Gane for the Interim Heavyweight Championship. Houston showed up in force and made their presence known in support of their guy, but it was not meant to be on this night.
Ciryl, already in hostile territory, trolled the Houston crowd by using legendary Houston single "Still Tippin" as his ring walk song. The unrelenting boos began to rain down on Ciryl Gane, but it didn't seem to faze him as he went on to finish the fight convincingly by TKO in the third round. Dana White said after the fight that "This was Ciryl Gane's coming out party." The toughest challenge for Gane however, is still yet to come as Dana White has made it very clear his next fight will be a Heavyweight Unification bout against Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou.
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The phrase most associated with the late former Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders’ owner Al Davis was “Just win baby.” One has to think Al would strongly approve of the Houston Astros. Going to the fifth inning Sunday against the Mariners the Astros were facing a 3-0 deficit and staring at the prospect of being swept out of Seattle and having their American League West division lead slashed to just two games. Now after roaring from behind with 11 unanswered runs to take the series finale in the Emerald City, and then sweeping three games from the Diamondbacks in Phoenix, the Astros stand six games up with 60 games to go. So, if the Astros play just .500 ball the rest of the way (which would have them finish with 90 victories), the Mariners have to play .600 ball to catch them. If somehow the Astros are to maintain their season long win pace to the finish line they’d close with 95 wins, and the race is already over unless someone thinks the M’s are poised to uncork a finishing kick of 41-19 or better. It’s quite a pleasing perch from which the Astros survey the standings. Coupled with the freefalling Detroit Tigers having dropped nine of their last ten games, the Astros amazingly start this homestand sporting the best record in the entire American League. On the homestand they follow four games against the team with the second-worst record in the American League (Athletics) with three versus the team with the second-worst record in the National League (Nationals). I know, I know. There is fear of the Astros playing down to the competition, but that is not the way to look at it. A bad Major League team can beat a good team in a series at any time. If it happens it happens, but it wouldn’t mean it happened only because the Astros didn’t take their opponent seriously. This isn’t the NBA.
Trade deadline looming
Of course, It hasn’t been all good news with Isaac Paredes badly injuring a hamstring Sunday. Paredes could be back in three weeks (doubtful), he could miss the rest of the season. GET WELL SOON JEREMY PENA! Lance McCullers’s latest Injured List stint could be considered addition by subtraction for the Astros’ starting rotation. Whether impacted by his blister issue, Lance was lousy in four of his last five starts. So, one week from the trade deadline, if general manager Dana Brown has the ammo to get one deal done, where does he make the upgrade? The left-handed hitter everyone knows the Astros can use regardless of Yordan Alvarez’s status is a natural priority. With the Astros’ weak farm system it would seem difficult for Brown to put forth the winning offer for the top bats that could be in play. That probably rings even truer now, since if he wasn’t already untouchable, Brice Matthews may have cemented untouchable status by darn near winning the first two games of the Diamondbacks series by himself. Matthews is going to struggle mightily to hit for a good average if he can’t make notable improvement in the contact department, but the power is obvious, as is the athleticism in the field. The 23-year-old Matthews and 22-year-old Cam Smith (though presently mired in a three for 36 slump) are the clear (and right now only) two young shining beacons for the lineup’s future.
You can't have enough pitching
While Brandon Walter has been a revelation, a starting pitcher would make sense unless the decision is to hope Spencer Arrighetti and/or Cristian Javier can contribute meaningfully upon return to the big leagues, likely sometime next month. Going after a reliever or two may make more sense in terms of availability and transaction cost. Overall the Astros’ bullpen has been excellent, but Bryan Abreu is the only trustworthy right-handed option for Joe Espada. Back to Walter. Barely two months ago no way Walter himself would have believed he’d be where he is now. Nine starts since being summoned basically out of desperation, Walter has a 3.35 earned run average, and a stunning 13 to one strikeout-to-walk ratio with his 52 strikeouts against a measly four walks allowed in 53 2/3 innings. Walter has pitched fabulously in seven of his nine starts. He only has two wins, but that’s because in five of the six Walter starts the Astros didn’t win the game they failed to score more than two runs. Walter turns 29 years old in September. His only prior big league experience was 23 innings in relief with a 6.26 ERA for the Red Sox two years ago. The Bosox released him last August, the Astros signed him basically as minor league depth. Look at him (and the Astros) now.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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