UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane may face his toughest challenge yet. First reported by La Sueur, the UFC is working on matching Gane against Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, NY. This news was also reported by MMA Junkie’s Nolan King and Farah Hannoun.
Gane debuted in the UFC last year and has been on an impressive run. Coming to the UFC with a 3-0 record, Gane would win three fights in 2019. His last win was against Tanner Boser by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 165 on December 21, 2019. Gane is seen by many as a future contender in the heavyweight division with his kickboxing background. Currently, Gane is ranked 15th in the heavyweight division and is undefeated with a 6-0 MMA record.
Abdurakhimov is looking to bounce back from a TKO loss against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 242 on September 7, 2019. Before his loss to Blaydes, Abdurakhimov was on a three-fight win streak. He has wins over notable UFC names like Andrei Arlovski, Walt Harris, and Marcin Tybura. Abdurakhimov is ranked 10th in the heavyweight division and has an MMA record of 20-5.
The card will be headlined by lightweight champion Khabib Nurgmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson for the lightweight championship. Another fight on the card is a rematch between former strawweight champions Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade. Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday.