Ciryl Gane has only been in the UFC for two years, but he says his entire athletic career has prepared him to compete for the interim heavyweight title Saturday against veteran Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 265. Their matchup tops the MMA showcase from the Toyota Center in Houston, with the main UFC 265 fight card set for 10 p.m. ET. The third-ranked Gane has been a professional mixed martial artist for just three years and made his UFC debut in August 2019. But the French fighter has extensive backgrounds in several disciplines such as kickboxing and he believes his high-level experience allowed him to cultivate immediate success in MMA. He faces a step-up in competition in the second-ranked Lewis, who is arguably the heaviest puncher in the division’s history.
Gane is a -380 favorite (risk $380 to win $100), while Lewis is listed at +310 in the latest Lewis vs. Gane odds from Caesars Sportsbook. In the co-main event, bantamweights collide when fifth-ranked Jose Aldo (-130) takes on ninth-ranked veteran Pedro Munhoz, with the UFC 265 odds listing Aldo as the slight -130 favorite. Before locking in any UFC 265 picks, make sure you check out the MMA picks and UFC 265 predictions from SportsLine analyst Kyle Marley.
Marley won the first-ever “ToutMaster” UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event.
Over the past 30 months, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up more than $14,000. The accomplished MMA analyst has now connected on 34 of his last UFC 56 main-event selections, a stretch that includes a streak of five straight underdogs.
Just last week at UFC Fight Night, Marley told SportsLine members to expect a dominant performance from middleweight contender Sean Strickland (-210) against veteran Uriah Hall (+190) in the main event. Strickland controlled the action to win a runaway unanimous decision to give Marley’s followers another winner. He also accurately called a breakthrough win for prospect Cheyanne Buys (-180) against Gloria De Paula (+160) in the strawweight co-main event. Anyone who has consistently followed Marley is way up.
Now, with Gane vs. Lewis fast approaching, Marley has studied the matchups from every angle and released his picks and predictions for the UFC 265 card. His expert UFC picks are only available at SportsLine.
UFC 265: Lewis vs. Gane preview
Marley knows the main event is widely considered the best heavyweight fight that could be made without the presence of Ngannou, and the winner is likely to join the ranks of the promotion’s new superstars.
It will either be the affable Lewis (25-7-1) who will have made the quantum leap from fringe contender to the top of the sport in just a few years, or it will serve as a coronation of sorts for Gane (9-0), who is the most coveted prospect to come along in the heavyweight division in ages.
Gane is a former Muay Thuy and kickboxing champion whose transition to cage fighting was much anticipated among MMA observers. The French fighter hasn’t disappointed and has shown mastery of all disciplines with speed and agility that defy his 6-foot-4, 245-pound frame. In six UFC fights, he has 100 percent takedown defense and averages 5.13 significant strikes landed per minute.
By contrast, opponents of Lewis have taken him down successfully on nearly half their attempts, and he lands just 2.59 strikes per minute. The problem for his opponents is that one of those blows is likely to put them asleep. He has a heavyweight-record 12 knockouts and the more impressive resume of the main-event combatants.
Lewis is coming off likely his most impressive performance to date when he knocked out athletic speed wrestler Curtis Blaydes in the second round of their February fight. You can only see who to back here.
UFC 265 predictions
We’ll share one of Marley’s UFC 265 selections here: He is siding with Tecia Torres (-135) to get her hand raised against Angela Hill (+115) in a matchup of veteran strawweight contenders on the main card.
This fight is a rematch dating to 2015 when Torres (12-5) defeated Hill by unanimous decision to win her UFC debut. The 31-year-old Massachusetts native went on to win four of her first five UFC appearances before enduring a four-fight losing streak, all by decision and against top-10 opponents. She has since rebounded with two consecutive victories.
Hill (13-9) has become one of the UFC roster’s most popular fighters because of her engaging personality outside of the cage and her willingness to take on all opponents inside of it. The 36-year-old Maryland native fought four times each in 2019 and 2020 despite the pandemic-related challenges. In her first outing of 2021, she took a decision over Ashley Yoder in March.
“Hill has improved a ton since (the first matchup), but I still slightly favor Torres because her advantage on the ground is the biggest edge,” Marley told SportsLine.
How to make UFC 265 picks
Marley has strong picks for Lewis vs. Gane and every other fight on the UFC 265 card. He’s also taking a fighter who will lead in volume to score an upset, sending his backers straight to the payout window. You can only get those UFC 265 picks at SportsLine.
Who wins Lewis vs. Gane? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 265, all from the expert who’s up more than $14,000 on MMA in the past 30 months, and find out.
UFC 265 odds, fight card
Derrick Lewis (+310) vs. Ciryl Gane (-380)
Jose Aldo (-130) vs. Pedro Munhoz (+110)
Michael Chiesa (+110) vs. Vicente Luque (-130)
Tecia Torres (-135) vs. Angela Hill (+115)
Song Yadong (-110) vs. Casey Kenney (-110)
Rafael Fiziev (-345) vs. Bobby Green (+285)
Vince Morales (+100) vs. Drako Rodriguez (-120)
Alonzo Menifield (-240) vs. Ed Herman (+200)
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (-125) vs. Jessica Penne (+105)
Manel Kape (-200) vs. Ode Osbourne (+170)
Miles Johns (-200) vs. Anderson Dos Santos (+175)
Melissa Gatto (-130) vs. Victoria Leonardo (+110)
Johnny Munoz (-230) vs. Jamey Simmons (+195)
