It’s heavyweight time on Saturday night as UFC Fight Night 190 is set to unfold at the UFC APEX facility in Greater Las Vegas. Cyril Gane tangles with one-time Bellator Heavyweight World Champion Alexander Volkov in the headliner. The co-main event also features a heavyweight tilt, with Ovince St. Preux set to meet Tanner Boser in the Octagon.
You can catch the whole night’s action on ESPN+, but don’t miss our UFC betting previews, along with the full card, as you plan your wagering.
UFC Fight Night 190: Gane vs Volkov Preview
Main Card (ESPN+)
Cyril Gane vs Alexander Volkov (Heavyweight)
Tanner Boser vs Ovince St. Preux (Heavyweight)
Raoni Barcelos vs Timur Valiev (Bantamweight)
Andre Fili vs Daniel Pineda (Featherweight)
Tim Means vs Nicolas Dalby (Welterweight)
Renato Moicano vs Jai Herbert (Lightweight)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+)
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Danilo Marques (Light Heavyweight)
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs MIchel Prazeres (Welterweight)
Warlley Alves vs Jeremia Wells (Welterweight)
Marcin Prachnio vs Isaac Villaneuva (Light Heavyweight)
Julia Avila vs Julija Stoliarenko (Women’s Bantamweight)
Charles Rosa vs Justin Jaynes (Featherweight)
Yancy Medeiros vs Damir Hadzovic (Lightweight)
Ciryl Gane (8-0, 5-0 UFC, -170) vs Alexander Volkov (33-8, 7-2 UFC, +150) is Gane’s latest shot to progress in UFC; he entered in 2019, taking down Raphael Pessoa, Don’Tale Mayes and Tanner Boser, finishing the first two on the mat via submission. In 2020, his progress was stilted a bit, due to injuries and other issues, but he did beat Junior dos Santos in December, earning a shot at the other contenders. He got a main event slot against Jairzinho Rozenstruik in February; Gane cruised to a win on the cards, but the fight was not dynamic,as he used his length advantage and his range to stay out of danger.
Volkov has shown elite durability since coming over from Bellator, but he also stays at range, which makes him vulnerable to wrestlers like Curtis Blaydes, who dominated Volkov on the cards about a year ago. He also lacks the knockout power that marks most elite heavyweights. When Derrick Lewis was trailing him on the cards but then delivered a knockout to Volkov late in the fight, the danger of lacking power became even more urgent. Volkov has since knocked out Walt Haris and Alistair Overeem, but can he finish Gane? Gane has the fluidity to avoid the big bomb and should be able to roll on points here.
Final Prediction:
Gane wins via decision
Tanner Boser (19-8-1, 3-3 UFC, -165) vs Ovince St. Preux (25-15, 13-10 UFC, +145) is an admittedly odd matchup that is the result of some late changes to the lineup. St. Preux last fought in December, losing via stoppage to Jamahal Hill. St. Preux had wanted to bounce back against Maxim Grishin, but Grishin is out, and now St. Preux moves up from light heavyweight to take on Boser, a Canadian who is small for a heavyweight but possesses agility.
Boser has made his name by using leg kicks and range strikes to wear down opponents with less speed and more mileage. However, after losing to Ciryl Gane on the cards, Boser started to fight more aggressively and started 2020 with a pair of knockout wins. However, he got caught in a very pedestrian fight against Andrei Arlovski, where Arlovski stacked up more points, and a fight against Ilir Latifi that also went to the cards, with Latifi getting the nod because of his wrestling games. What we have learned is that Boser likes to come forward and will win if the match is about delivering volume. However, larger and stronger opponents may be able to eat the damage and use control or power to get the win anyway. St. Preux can still bring damage, but he does not like to go to the ground, and in recent fights he has liked to hang back and wait for the action to come to him. Boser should be able to largely avoid damage while getting enough points to win.
Final Prediction:
Boser wins via decision
UFC Betting Odds
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