Ariel Helwani reveals why Lewis vs Gane was booked for UFC 265
ESPN’s MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has claimed that the UFC decided to give Ciryl Gane a shot at the interim heavyweight strap against Derrick Lewis had to do with the event’s venue.
Helwani wrote on Twitter that the UFC wanted to include Lewis on the UFC 265 card because it will be held in Houston, where Lewis is from. The event will take place on August 9.
UFC today announced a multi-event partnership with Toyota Center. UFC 265 will take place there after 263 was there in May. One of the reasons why it was important for them to have Houston’s own Derrick Lewis on the card. They’ll also get a PPV in 2022, per a release.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 30, 2021
Putting the interim championship on the line over the Gane vs Lewis bout will only increase the event’s hype in the State as the Houston residents are likely to flood the arena to support the Black Beast.
This has answered a prolonged query of the MMA fraternity as everyone, including the reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, was amused to see the UFC schedule an interim championship fight only two months after the Predator was crowned the champ.
Nevertheless, this has produced a once in a lifetime opportunity for Ciryl Gane, who has fought his way from the bottom. The Frenchman last won a highly-anticipated bout against Alexander Volkov at UFC Vegas 30. Headlining the main event, Gane clinched a victory via unanimous decision. He is 9-0 in his pro MMA career and 6-0 in the UFC.