UFC 265: Lewis v Gane Prediction, Odds & All Main Card Tips

From a new heavyweight interim champion and a new contender in the bantamweight division, to a potential new contender for the 170s guys so pay attention to - UFC 265 is going to have it all.

The main card will get underway with the return of Karolina Kowalkiewicz against former strawweight contender, Jessica Penne, before the threatening skills of Song Yadong and Casey Kenney clash, whilst Alonzo Menifield gets another opportunity to get the attention of the light heavyweight division.

#5 in the welterweight world, Michael Chiesa, also meets with #6, Vicente Luque, where we could well see a future title contender, just before Jose Aldo looks to finally give his bantamweight career some life when he meets Pedro Munhoz.

Read all the UFC 265 predictions, odds, tips and offers right here.

Ciryl Gane is one of those fighters who is just destined for greatness. Whether this be in the UFC, mauy Thai or something in between, the Frenchman has established himself as one of the current greats in the heavyweight division and as arguably the best contender to Francis Ngannou - a teammate of his.

Standing at 6ft 5, the striking specialist also boasts three submissions on his record and has built up quite the reputation as a feared grappler when needed also. However, against Derrick Lewis, Gane is going to need all his fight IQ and technical superiority from the first second to the last, otherwise, as has often been the case, it's lights out for the man on the opposite end of that deadly right hand.

As of now, Gane enters the fight as the clear 1/3 favourite, which although shows he is clearly the better fighter for the bookmakers, this doesn't quite tell the story of the whole fight. Lewis, can, of course, hit the 'off button' with one punch, but in terms of form over the last two years, nothing is really separating the two.

In fact, the Houston fighter has managed to win four fights in a row since losing to Junior dos Santos and in knocking out the serious contender Curtis Blaydes, Lewis earned his seventh fight bonus and claimed the most knockouts in heavyweight history mantle, with Blaydes being his 12th victim.

So, for Gane, it's quite simple: avoid the right hand and he wins. There's no way the Frenchman will be on the opposite end of Lewis taking him down or trying to outclass him as well, as Gane is simply too good for that. If the 9-0 fighter is to win on Lewis' home turf, we suspect a third unanimous decision win for him could be on the cards, which in itself describes just how technically extraordinary this man is for such a height and weight.

We must also consider the gas tank of the American, which he has proved time after time is simply non-existent compared to others who describe themselves as an athlete. In one way, Lewis doesn't need cardio, because even with the gas tank of a marathon runner, Gane's striking is still sweeter, cleaner and better. With this said, Gane is 6/4 to win via TKO/KO and we think this is also worth mentioning as the mix of a poor endurance and a specialist striker doesn't often end well.

Lewis enters the cage as the underdog once more. This is no surprise to him or the bookies, as the American has done so in many fights down the years, including his most recent bout against the threatening force of Blaydes, who he knocked out cold in the second round.

There really isn't much analysis to be had here, because it's this simple: Lewis TKO/KO, or else. The UFC veteran isn't going to outclass Gane, nor is he going to boast better cardio or superior wrestling in the cage either, so he must knock out the 6ft 5 Frenchman.

In fact, in all of Lewis' 33 MMA fights, he has won just one by submission, which is second-least inside the top 10 of the heavyweight rankings as only Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai have less, but both of those men have a combined 33 fights, which is the same as Lewis' total.

So, Lewis has to knock him out, and in truth, you won't find any other analyst who begs to differ and that is why he is 11/4 to win the bout and 7/2 to do so via TKO/KO.