A rematch between top heavyweight contenders with a potential title shot on the line has reportedly been set for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
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Set to take place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE on October 26, UFC 308 will mark the promotion’s second trip to Abu Dhabi this year following a UFC Fight Night event headlined by Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov on August 3.
According to a report from Ag Fight, a heavyweight rematch between former Interim Champion Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov is now set for UFC 308 and could set the winner up for a future heavyweight title shot.
Gane and Volkov previously headlined a UFC Fight Night card in 2021, and after earning a lopsided unanimous decision in that fight “Bon Gamin” went on to become Interim Heavyweight Champion at UFC 265 before he came up short in a title unification bout with Francis Ngannou at UFC 270.
The Frenchman suffered a submission-loss to Jon Jones last year before he got back into the win column by stopping Serghei Spivac in September, while Volkov is currently on a four-fight win streak that most recently saw him hand Sergei Pavlovich his second UFC loss.
The news that Gane is returning to face Volkov will be a huge disappointment for #7-ranked heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida, who has been actively campaigning for a title eliminator fight with “Bon Gamin”.
Gane, dont have anyone you can fight in Paris, its me and you, i already put the ranking below!! All guys are booked @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 @MMAFighting @arielhelwani @fernandlopez @ciryl_gane @espnmma @dc_mma @bisping @felderpaul @Jon_Anik @MeganOlivi https://t.co/79OtYv1JWV
— Jailton Almeida “Malhadinho” (@Malhadinho_UFC) June 22, 2024
A matchup at UFC 308 also means that Gane won’t be fighting at UFC Paris on September 28, which means that will be the first UFC card in France not to feature the former interim titleholder after he previously headlined the promotion’s first two visits to Paris.
The heavyweight title picture is a bit of a logjam at the moment with Tom Aspinall set to defend his interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 while Heavyweight Champion Jones continues waiting for a fight with Stipe Miocic, but the winner of the Volkov vs. Gane rematch should be in a strong position to challenge for the interim or undisputed belt at some point next year.
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