The UFC will return to Paris for the second time on Saturday for a UFC Fight Night that features French star CIryl Gane squaring off against Sergey Spivac in the main event. The five-round showdown between ranked heavyweights will anchor the main card starting at 3 p.m. ET from Accor Arena. The UFC made its Paris debut last year, and Gane sent the local fans home happy following his third-round knockout of Tai Tuivasa in an entertaining brawl. Now, the No. 2-ranked Gane will try to get back on track following a loss to Jon Jones in their March title fight. The No. 7-ranked Spivac has won six of seven and can join the title picture if he can pull off the mild upset.
Gane is a -160 favorite (risk $160 to win $100), while Spivac comes back at +135 in the latest UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac odds. In the co-main event, women's flyweight contenders take the spotlight as Manon Fiorot (-180) meets former champion. Rose Namajunas (+155). Before locking in any picks for UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani.
Vithlani is a highly analytical UFC bettor who profited more than $6,200 for $100 bettors in 2022. This includes a documented 24-14 record on his well-respected, two-leg parlays. Every pick was documented on his public Instagram account.
From breaking down film and following fighters and their camps closely, to tracking sharp action and betting market signals, Vithlani covers the breadth of the MMA betting landscape top to bottom. He also trains amateur boxers and speaks regularly with MMA fighters to understand the sport's nuances.
In his SportsLine debut for UFC 283 in January, Vithlani swept the main card and has been a consistent winner ever since. At UFC 292 two weeks ago, he called the victory for underdog Sean O'Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) in the bantamweight main event. Anyone who has followed Vithlani already has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac in store, Vithlani has scoured the card from top to bottom and released his top selections. Vithlani's UFC Fight Night picks are only available at SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac preview
Gane (11-2) will be headlining before his hometown fans for the second time, and the French fighter is arguably under pressure to deliver a dominant performance to remain considered an elite UFC heavyweight.
The 33-year-old had just three professional fights before joining the UFC and immediately delivered on what many observers believed was unlimited potential. He won his first seven fights behind a rare mix of size, speed, athleticism and versatility.
However, losses in two of his past three fights have some skeptics wondering if his ceiling is lower than previously believed. At UFC 270 in January 2022, he won the first couple of rounds against Ngannou, before the former champion used wrestling and ground control to take over and win a narrow decision.
Following Ngannou's departure from the UFC, Gane remained the top contender and was selected as the opponent for the much-anticipated return of Jon Jones at UFC 285 of March of last year. Despite a three-year layoff, the former longtime light heavyweight champion met little resistance. Jones quickly took Gane to the mat and submitted him at 2:04 of the first round.
Now, Gane returns to the cage to face a fighter in Spivac (16-3) who similarly provides a daunting combination of power and ground-game expertise. The 28-year-old Moldovan fighter has seven submissions and seven knockouts to his credit and appears to be improving with each performance.
Following a loss to fellow prospect Tom Aspinall in September 2021, Spivac has won three straight fights by finish while breaking into the top-10 rankings. His last performance provided his signature victory to date as he submitted two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis in February. You can only see who to pick at UFC Fight Night here.
UFC Fight Night predictions
We'll share one of Vithlani's UFC Fight Night picks here: He is siding with Benoit Saint Denis (-160) to get the better of Thiago Moises (+135) in a matchup of lightweight contenders on the main card.
Following a loss in his UFC debut, Saint-Denis (11-1-1) reeled off three consecutive finish victories inside of two rounds, with two submissions and one knockout. The 27-year-old French fighter gained attention for his first-round submission of heralded prospect Ismael Bonfim in July.
Moises (17-6) is a five-year UFC veteran and versatile fighter who has gone 6-4 in 10 UFC outings while facing some of the division's biggest names. The 28-year-old Brazilian has won two straight by submission and stopped Melquizael Costa in January.
"On paper, this looks like an even fight. However, I feel that Saint-Denis will put more damage on Moises. If Saint-Denis makes this fight nasty, it favors him," Vithlani told SportsLine. See who else to back here.
How to make UFC Fight Night picks
Vithlani also has strong picks for Gane vs. Spivac and other bouts on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing a fighter who "has excellent hand speed and boxing" to emerge with a dominant victory. Those picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC Fight Night, all from the MMA expert who profited more than $6,200 in 2022, and find out.
UFC Fight Night odds, fight card
See full UFC Fight Night picks, predictions, best bets here.
Ciryl Gane (-160) vs. Sergey Spivak (+135)
Manon Fiorot (-180) vs. Rose Namajunas (+155)
Benoit Saint-Denis (-160) vs. Thiago Moises (+135)
Volkan Oezdemir (-180) vs. Bogdan Guskov (+155)
Morgan Charriere (-330) vs. Manolo Zecchini (+260)
Farid Basharat (-350) vs. Kleydson Rodrigues (+275)
Ange Loosa (-165) vs. Rhys McKee (-140)
Nora Cornolle (-115) vs. Joselyne Edwards (-105)
Jacqueline Cavalcanti (-380) vs. Zarah Fairn (+300)
Taylor Lapilus (-190) vs. Muin Gafurov (+160)
