Bitter taste, whistles, broken toes: for his return, Cyril Gane beats Russian Alexander Volkov on a split decision

French MMA fighter Ciryl Gane was declared the winner by split decision against Russian Alexander Volkov at UFC 310, this Saturday, November 7, in Las Vegas.

A bittersweet victory. Amidst boos from the crowd, Ciryl Gane was declared the winner of a close fight, a decision that left many incredulous, including the Frenchman himself, who first left the octagon before speaking as tradition dictates.

“Good kid”'s return to the cage fifteen months after his last fight was choppy and tight, but the result allows him to claim next time against a renowned opponent, who could bring him closer to the heavyweight belt, him the 3rd in the ranking who has just pushed back the 4th.

“It was close, he did a good job. I put him in danger in several situations, that's maybe why the judges chose me”, estimated the Frenchman, looking defeated.

“I broke my toes in the first second of the fight, it didn't help me. I'm not happy with the fight, I'm happy with the decision, it was my return, it wasn't easy, but I “I'm not happy”, he added before limping away.

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Doubts not yet resolved

Aged 34, Ciryl Gane had not fought since September 2023 and his demolition of Serghei Spivac in front of the Bercy crowd.

A former darling of the octagon, he has only two losses in the UFC, on his two belt chances: in January 2022 against Francis Ngannou, then in a quick fight against Jon Jones in March 2023 that cut his momentum.

Favorite against Russian Alexander Volkov (36 years old, 38 wins and now 11 losses), whom he had already beaten in 2021, the Frenchman, former interim champion, has not removed all doubts about his ability to one day dominate the heavyweight category.

He nevertheless dominated the first round, taking the Russian to the ground and then coming close to strangling him before Volkov was saved by the bell.

Largely dominated on the ground by the Russian in the 3rd round, it was the 2nd round that caused controversy, with two judges giving it to “Good kid”.

The Russian was more spectacular with a violent right punch after a spin, then a kick to the face followed by a straight punch.

Statistics The totals are clearly to the advantage of the Frenchman, who has landed 41 times against 33 for the Russian, according to the UFC, and has been the author of two “takedowns” (taking the opponent to the ground), for only one suffered.