UFC 265: Lewis vs Gane Predictions, Odds & Picks

• With heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou out of action, two top-five heavyweights will do battle Saturday night for the interim heavyweight championship as Derrick Lewis and Cyril Gane main event UFC 265 this Saturday
• Former featherweight king Jose Aldo takes on Pedro Munhoz in the co-main event that was originally expected to showcase a women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena
• Top-10 welterweights look to make their mark on the division and get one step closer to a title shot as Michael Chiesa puts his winning streak on the line against Vicente Luque

UFC 265: Lewis vs Gane

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UFC 265: Lewis vs Gane – Picks & Predictions

Derrick Lewis vs Cyril Gane – Interim Heavyweight Championship

Derrick Lewis (+290)

Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munhoz – Bantamweight Division

Jose Aldo (-115)

Michael Chiesa vs Vicente Luque – Welterweight Division

Michael Chiesa (+100)

Tecia Torres vs Angela Hill – Women’s strawweight Division

Angela Hill (+115)

Song Yadong vs Casey Kenney – Bantamweight Division

Casey Kenney (-110)

How to Watch UFC 265: Lewis vs Gane

Derrick Lewis vs Cyril Gane – Interim Heavyweight Championship

Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis

The knockout king is back this Saturday night as Derrick Lewis gets his second chance at UFC gold.

After a three-fight winning streak in 2018, Lewis’ year was capped-off with a UFC title shot against then-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. Unfortunately for Lewis he was submitted in the second round.

He lost his next fight to Junior dos Santos via second-round TKO. It was the first and only time that Lewis had lost two fights in a row.

Since the loss, Lewis has amassed four straight wins that started with back-to-back decision wins over Blagoy Ivanov and Ilir Latifi.

His next fight with Aleksei Oleynik was a slugfest and Lewis got the TKO win in the second round.

Derrick Lewis most recently fought against Curtis Blaydes in their headlining ESPN fight this past February. Earning a performance bonus for his effort, Lewis managed to KO Blaydes with an uppercut as his opponent was charging in for a takedown.

Of his 25 professional wins, Derrick Lewis has won 20 of them by either KO or TKO.

The Texas native will be fighting this fight in his home state and it is also where he spends his time training with the 4oz. Fight Club.

He has been competing in mixed martial arts since 2010 and is currently ranked as the number-two heavyweight in the UFC.

He is also a former Legacy FC heavyweight champion.

Lewis is five years older than his opponent and is the biggest betting underdog on the main card – but I don’t think that should fool you.

Cyril “Bon Gamin” Gane

Although Cyril Gane has yet to reach double-digits when it comes to his fighting record, the French fighter has defeated some impressive names during his nine-fight unbeaten run.

Entering the UFC with a 3-0 record, Gane won his first two fights for the promotion by submission before earning a unanimous decision over Tanner Boser.

He would then face the former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos in 2020. Gane earned a second-round TKO victory over the former champ.

Gane followed that performance with a unanimous decision win over another top contender in Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

His most recent bout was an ESPN headlining affair against Alexander Volkov that took place just this past June. Gane was awarded the five-round unanimous decision victory.

A former kickboxer with a 13-0 record, Gane trains with coach Fernand Lopez and the MMA Factory.

He is a former TKO heavyweight champion and is known mostly for his muay thai striking skill.

Not many fighters come in larger than Derrick Lewis, but on Saturday night it will be Cyril Gane who will have a two-inch height advantage as well as a two-inch reach advantage.

This will be his tenth professional MMA fight and his first shot at a UFC championship.

Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munhoz – Bantamweight Division

Jose “Junior” Aldo

Many call him the King of Rio.

Jose Aldo is a legend of the sport of MMA and is still only 34-years-old. He came into prominence as the WEC featherweight champion and was named the first-ever UFC featherweight champion when the UFC absorbed the WEC.

From there Aldo went on to defend his title seven times against the likes of Urijah Faber, Frankie Edgar, and the Korean Zombie.

After losing the title to Conor McGregor, Aldo won the interim title against Frankie Edgar. However he would then lose back-to-back fights against Max Holloway.

He won two more fights at featherweight before losing to Alexander Volkanovski. He moved down to the bantamweight division following the loss and has gone 1-2, during which time he fought for the vacant bantamweight title and lost.

His most recent fight came against Marlon Vera last December. Aldo won the bout via unanimous decision.

The Brazilian fighter trains in his home country with Nova Uniao as well as with Ruas Vale Tudo.

Competing since 2004, Aldo holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Andre Pederneiras and a black belt in luta livre under Marco Ruas.

He is currently ranked at number-six in the UFC bantamweight division and was named Sherdog’s “greatest featherweight in MMA history” in 2017.

He will enter the cage Saturday night one-inch taller than his opponent and boasting a five-inch reach advantage.

Pedro “The Young Punisher” Munhoz

Pedro Munhoz has gone just 2-2 over his last four fights but has been awarded three post-fight bonuses during that stretch. His fight against Aldo has all the potential to earn him his third ‘fight of the night’ award in a row.

After a three-fight winning streak that he capped off with a KO win over former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, Munhoz went on a bit of a skid, dropping back-to-back fights to Aljamain Sterling and Frankie Edgar – the latter by split-decision.

He bounced back in his most recent fight, however, when he defeated Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision this past February.

A fellow Brazilian to Aldo, Munhoz now trains in the US with the American Top Team organization.

He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Rubens Charles and Marco Barbosa and also has a brown belt in judo.

Competing since 2009, Munhoz is currently ranked as the ninth-best bantamweight fighter in the division.

Michael Chiesa vs Vicente Luque – Welterweight Division

Michael “Maverick” Chiesa

Former UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa was on a two-fight losing streak and struggling to make weight in 2018 when he decided to move up to the UFC’s welterweight division.

Since moving up to 170-pounds, Chiesa has found himself on a four-fight winning streak with notable wins over the likes of former interim champion Carlos Condit and former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos.

His most recent fight came against rising talent Neil Magny this past January. The two headlined an ESPN event and Chiesa coasted to a five-round unanimous decision victory.

The former Ultimate Fighter winner from Spokane, Washington spends his time training with both the Sik Jitsu Fighting Systems gym as well as with Team Alpha Male.

Chiesa trains with coach Rich Little and currently holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under James Weed.

He has been competing since 2008 and is currently ranked at number five in the welterweight division.

Chiesa will stand one-inch taller than his opponent Saturday night.

Vicente “The Silent Assassin” Luque

Vicente Luque was enjoying a six-fight winning streak under the UFC banner before he faced off against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in 2019, when he was defeated via unanimous decision.

Since then, however, Luque has proven to the world that he still belongs among the elite in the welterweight division.

He followed the “Wonderboy” loss with a TKO win over Niko Price and followed that performance with a KO of Randy Brown.

His most recent fight took place at UFC 260 this past March where he took on former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Luque submitted the former champ in the first round and earned his fifth post-fight bonus in seven fights.

Born in New Jersey, Vicente Luque spends time training with both Cerrado MMA as well as Sanford MMA.

Fighting since 2009, he holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a purple belt in luta livre.

He is currently ranked as the sixth best welterweight in the division.

Tecia Torres vs Angela Hill – Women’s Strawweight Division

Tecia “Tiny Tornado” Torres

Tecia Torres has been a member of the UFC roster since 2014 and started her tenure with the promotion by putting together a 6-1 record.

However, Torres would suffer a four-fight losing streak that saw her go winless in 2018 and 2019 – suffering losses to the likes of Jessica Andrade and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

She snapped that losing streak in the summer of 2020, defeating Brianna Van Buren via unanimous decision. She followed that performance with an impressive TKO victory over Sam Hughes at UFC 256 last December.

She has yet to fight in 2021.

Known for her striking prowess, Torres trains with the American Top Team gym.

Fighting since 2011, she holds black belts in both karate and taekwondo as well as a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She is currently ranked as the tenth-best strawweight in the promotion.

She is five-years younger than her opponent.

Angela “Overkill” Hill

A rematch six-years in the making, Angela Hill lost her second UFC fight in 2015 to Tecia Torres via unanimous decision.

Since the loss, Hill has had mixed success in the UFC and currently holds a promotional record of 8-8 and even left the promotion in 2016 to fight for Invicta FC.

Hill fought four times in 2020, winning her first two fights of the year back-to-back before suffering back-to-back losses to Claudia Gadelha and Michelle Waterson.

She snapped the losing streak in her first fight of 2021, however, when she defeated Ashley Yoder via unanimous decision in March.

Known for her muay thai skills, Hill has been fighting since 2014 and is currently ranked as number-12 in the division and holds a 16-0 professional kickboxing record.

She currently trains with Alliance MMA.

Angela Hill will enter the cage Saturday night with a two-inch height advantage as well as a 3.5-inch reach advantage.

Song Yadong vs Casey Kenney – Bantamweight Division

Song “The Kung Fu Monkey” Yadong

Joining the UFC roster in 2017, China’s Song Yadong started his career with the promotion with a first-round submission win over Bharat Khandare.

He would go on to win his first four UFC fights in a row before fighting Cody Stamann to a majority draw in late 2019.

He followed that fight with a decision win over Marlon Vera but then lost his most recent fight via decision to Kyler Phillips at UFC 259 this past March.

In seven fights with the UFC, Yadong has amassed four post-fight bonuses.

Song Yadong trains out of Sacramento, California with Team Alpha Male gym and spends time with the Enbo Fight Club.

He has been fighting since 2013 and is still just 23-years-old – seven years younger than his opponent. He will stand one inch taller than Casey Kenney on Saturday night.

Casey Kenney

Much like his opponent, Casey Kenney was enjoying early success in his UFC career, going 5-1 at the start of his time with the promotion, accumulating wins over the likes of Ray Borg and Manny Bermudez.

However, also like his opponent this Saturday, Kenney suffered a loss in his most recent bout which was also held at UFC 259 this past March.

In what was a hard-fought battle, Kenney was ultimately defeated by former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz via split-decision.

The American-born fighter trains with coaches Chris Cariaso and John Crouch and works out with both the Rise Combat Sports team and the MMA Lab.

Fighting since 2014, Kenney holds a second-dan black belt in judo as well as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.