UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac

The UFC returns to the Accor Arena in Paris, France with an encore main event performance from local heavyweight star Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane. Gane was routed his last time out by the consensus greatest fighter of all time Jon “Bones” Jones in the first round, so he will be seeking a redemptive performance against the highly motivated, momentum-driven Sergey Spivac. Spivac was chosen particularly to test the grappling of Gane and give him an opportunity to redeem himself once again in front of the Parisian faithful. The eleven-fight card begins with two women with violent intentions kicking things off in a catchweight bout.

Zarah Fairn vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti

Fight Odds: +300 Fairn vs. -375 Cavalcanti
Weight Class: 140lb. (Women’s Catchweight)

Zarah Fairn struggled to make the 140lb. Catchweight limit this morning, but with the help of the box of shame, she was able to hit her mark. Fairn is 39 years of age, so it’s hard to imagine she will have many more fights with the organization. As for Cavalcanti, she is a very green fighter making her debut as a massive favorite. Cavalcanti is much younger, more physically imposing, and she has a higher ceiling and brighter future inside the octagon.

As a gambling man, I find this price prohibitive on the favorite. Cavalcanti has only secured two career wins over opponents with winning records, so she has a lot left to prove in my eyes. She is equipped with better intangibles to win this fight, but we have seen many examples of debutants underperforming, and Zairn showed off functional striking in her last UFC fight.

Prediction: Jacqueline Cavalcanti defeats Zarah Fairn via SDEC

Farid Basharat vs. Kleydson Rodrigues

Fight Odds: -390 Basharat vs. +310 Rodrigues
Weight Class: 135lb. (Bantamweight)

Farid Basharat and his brother Javid have been creating a lot of buzz in the bantamweight division since arriving in the UFC. Despite failing to break through with memorable finishes, the brothers are standing out with their skill, their composure, and their quality of training and competition. Basharat got a high-level win over Da’Mon Blackshear in the UFC, showing off his grappling acumen by neutralizing the highly touted BJJ black belt.

Kleydson Rodrigues is a fun Brazilian prospect with knockout power and dynamic offense, but he is being forced to move up a weight class in this fight after twice missing the flyweight limit. Rodrigues was a solid, big body flyweight, but he will be a much more average athlete in the stacked bantamweight division. Rodrigues is a bit more athletic and powerful with his strikes, but the process, the grappling, and the wrestling of Basharat should be enough to get him the judges nod here.

Prediction: Farid Basharat defeats Kleydson Rodrigues via SUB3/UDEC

Joselyne Edwards vs. Nora Cornolle

Fight Odds: -125 Edwards vs. +105 Cornolle
Weight Class: 135lb. (Flyweight)

Joselyne Edwards is a Panamanian fighter who has quietly produced as a favorite in the UFC. Edwards has rattled off three wins and produced a 79% ROI closing at an average chalk price of -125. Now Edwards is right back to her productive odds range to take on the UFC debutant and French representative Nora Cornolle.

Cornolle is a game, tough chick who wants to scrap. She throws elbows, knees, kicks, and punches, and she is not afraid to mix it up with women in the clinch. Cornolle is green as uncut grass in MMA, but she does have experience in stand-up fighting that could pay dividends if this fight stays upright throughout. At 33 years of age making a debut against a larger fighter with more experience, I simply have to favor Joselyne Edwards to accomplish more over the course of 15 minutes. With that being said, I am cognizant that the judges could be swayed by the French fans and award Cornolle the decision here regardless of which woman does better work during the bout.

Prediction: Joselyne Edwards defeats Nora Cornolle via SUB3/SDEC

Ange Loosa vs. Rhys McKee

Fight Odds: -175 Loosa vs. +150 McKee
Weight Class: 170lb. (Welterweight)

This welterweight clash is one of the most difficult fights to call on the card. Ange Loosa has struggled in the UFC despite winning his most recent fight, while Rhys McKee has performed ably on the Cage Warriors scene, but his first run in the UFC left a lot to be desired. McKee was dealt from the bottom of the deck, fighting Khamzat Chimaev on short notice before being thrown in there with Alex Morono, a quietly successful UFC veteran with 12 wins in 18 UFC appearances.

Now McKee is taking on Ange Loosa, a 1-1 UFC fighter who lost to Jack Della Madellena on the Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series. Loosa has never been favored in a UFC fight, and now he is being favored at a sixty-plus percent margin despite being the much smaller fighter. I think McKee can get flatlined here, but Loosa has not translated his finishing abilities to the UFC level, so I have to assume McKee can survive here until proven otherwise. If that’s the case, I like McKee to make this a scrap and outperform his price tag.

Prediction: Rhys McKee defeats Ange Loosa via SDEC