ANAHEIM, California. (AP) — Francis Ngannou retained his UFC heavyweight title with a surprising demonstration of superior grappling in a unanimous victory over the previously undefeated Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on Saturday night.
Deiveson Figueiredo also defeated Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision and completed an exciting fighting trilogy by getting back the flyweight champion belt he lost to Moreno seven months ago.
Ngannou (17-3) defended his heavyweight belt for the first time with impressive stamina against his French compatriot Gane (10-1).
Both fighters possess incredible strength and exceptionally flowing athleticism for big men, but the champion is in control of a cautious action in the third round with the first of several eliminations. Ngannou turned a match between dreaded attackers into a wrestling match, which showed his well-improved game on the field.
The judges marked it 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 for Ngannou, who had never won a decision in his mixed martial arts career. The Press Association also scored 48-47 for Ngannou, the French national of Cameroonian origin who trains in Las Vegas.
Only 10 action and 3 1/2 years after his professional debut in MMA, Gane seemed to have an advantage in the first two rounds of his first action for the title with a top punch with the two fighters showing reasonable caution for each other’s power. Ngannou wore light envelopes around his two knees in the cage, suggesting that rumors about the health of his leg may have credit.
Gane mixed some swirling kicks with increasing confidence, but Ngannou changed the tone of the action at the start of the third third when he had an arm under Gane’s leg and lifted the challenger into the sky and dropped him. Gane had never been shot in his career at the UFC, but Ngannou did this several times in the third and fourth rounds, showing his significantly improved action and gane weaknesses in defense.
Ngannou managed a leg sweep at the fifth end, but Gane reached back and tried to secure a heel hook. The offer failed, and Ngannou returned to the top, ending the action by force.
Figueiredo (21-2-1) has gone 48-47 in the penultimate action on the score cards of the three judges, who after a body hectic add a rivalry that has presented them 13 rounds of extraordinary performances in the last 13 months. The trilogy began with a majority draw in Decembe and continued with Moreno’s third-round win in Arizona last June.
Figueiredo and Moreno (19-6-2) exchanged big blows throughout the third action, but the Brazilian winner got off to a good start to claim his first victory since Novembe.
Moreno gained a lot of exchange,and he had the fierce support of a crowd from Southern California with many fans driving 110 miles from his hometown of Tijuana to see the first Mexican UFC champion.
The judges gave it to Figueiredo by a narrow margin — but he does not think that this rivalry is over.
“I’m ready for a fourth action against Brandon in Mexico,” Figueiredo said.
With a fiery red stripe painted over her discolored blonde hair, Figueiredo made a solid first lap at the Honda Center, injuring the champion with both kicks and quick hands. They had several exciting stand-up exchanges in the third round, each of which wounded and recovered – and Figueiredo sent Moreno to the canvas with a right hand on the temple, with about 8 seconds to make the round.
Moreno’s blow was resumed in the fourth, and he managed a spectacular removal of the upper body 30 seconds after the fifth. The two fighters came out in a brutal fifth round, which ended with 30 seconds of swings and slings without attention.
Moreno’s fans repeatedly chanted ” Sí se puede!”and roars for everything the champion has done in Orange County, a region with deep roots of MMA. Moreno was supported both by the huge American-Mexican population in the Los Angeles area and by many traveling fans.
Moreno won his title last summer in the decisive action of the trilogy. He became a national hero in Mexico with his decisive victory in this growing sport, winning a meeting with the president.
Figueiredo, the Brazilian veterinarian who fought four times i while returning his title, responded to his second defeat in his career by training with former UFC champion of two divisions Henry Cejudo and refocusing his match schedule to manage Moreno’s style.
Ngannou won his title in March last year after a difficult path to the top. He was called the future champion from the moment he brought his formidable strength to the UFC, but mental defeats and shocking losses delayed his rise to a pentathlon winning streak, which was crowned by his stop of the champion Stipe Miocic.
Gane has been tirelessly on his way to this title since his MMA debut. Muay Thai kickboxer champion with a sublime athleticism, he won his first seven action at the UFC en route to an interim heavyweight title last summer with his victory over Derrick Lewis.
