UFC 265 REACTION
Ciryl Gane stuns Derrick Lewis, wins interim HW title
Aug 8, 2021, 3:13 pm
UFC 265 REACTION
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.
L.J. Cryer scored 14 points, Milos Uzan added 12 points and six assists, and No. 6 Houston beat Baylor 76-65 on Monday night for its third straight victory.
Terrance Arceneaux had 11 points and J’Wan Roberts scored 10 for Houston (20-4, 12-1 Big 12). Emanuel Sharp also finished with 10 after missing two games with an ankle injury.
The Cougars shot 51% and went 10 of 24 on 3-pointers. They reached 20 wins for the 10th consecutive season.
Norchad Omier scored 19 points and Langston Love added 15 for Baylor (15-9, 7-6), which shot 58% — including 9 of 15 on 3s. VJ Edgecombe had 14 points and Robert Wright III finished with 10.
Baylor lost its third straight road game and fell to 0-4 against ranked opponents in true road games this season.
Baylor: The Bears missed an opportunity to add a marquee win and fell to 4-8 in Quad 1 games. Baylor’s lack of depth came into play as Houston outscored the Bears’ bench 24-1, and three starters played at least 35 minutes.
Houston: The Cougars improved to 5-3 in Quad 1 games and remained atop the Big 12 standings.
Uzan hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 10-1 run and gave the Cougars a 26-16 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first half. Houston’s lead never dipped below six the rest of the way.
Houston, which entered forcing more than 14 turnovers per game and ranking in the top 10 nationally with a 5.2 turnover margin, forced Baylor into 15 turnovers and converted them into 28 points.
Houston visits No. 13 Arizona on Saturday, while Baylor hosts West Virginia the same day.