Gane’s background sets him apart in a division built on wrestlers and bangers. He came to MMA from Muay Thai, turned pro in 2018 and reached the UFC in August 2019 with a 3-0 record. The promotion fast-tracked him: three wins in five months to open his run, then three more in 2021, capped by a third-round TKO of Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 for the interim heavyweight belt. In a UFC.com feature ahead of UFC 321, Gane was framed for years as the heir to Cain Velasquez — a heavyweight built on fluid striking and footwork rather than freakish wrestling or cardio.
In the cage, Gane is a movement-first striker. He lands 5.29 significant strikes per minute at 63.52% accuracy, elite numbers for a 247-pound heavyweight, and works off range, feints and angles while most of the division plants and swings. The hole in his game is no secret: 25% takedown defense, exposed first by Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 and then by Jon Jones at UFC 285. Both opponents took the fight to the mat and kept it there. Bloody Elbow pointed out that his opening run — seven straight UFC wins — had only been matched among modern heavyweights by Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
The big fights trace a clean arc. Gane outpointed Alexander Volkov over five rounds in June 2021, then stopped Lewis for interim gold two months later. The unification bout with former teammate Ngannou at UFC 270 went the distance and handed him his first loss. He bounced back with a third-round TKO of Tai Tuivasa in Paris, then got submitted by Jones in the first round at UFC 285 for the vacant title. A TKO of Serghei Spivac and a split-decision win over Volkov in a December 2024 rematch put him back into the title picture.
That set up UFC 321 and a third shot at undisputed gold. Aspinall came in a heavy favorite, but the fight was waved off after 4:35 of round one when Gane’s fingers caught both of the champion’s eyes. “I’m a bit disappointed with the outcome of this fight, of course,” Gane told reporters afterward, per Sherdog. Dana White has said publicly he wants the rematch booked as soon as possible. At 36, with two title losses and a no contest on the ledger, Gane needs the do-over fast.