Francis Ngannou took on Ciryl Gane in a five-round contest for the heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 270. This was The Predator’s first title defence after winning the belt against Miocic at UFC 260. It is needless to say that fight fans were highly anticipated for this matchup because the different styles of Ngannou and Gane made it very exciting.
Besides, the history involved between the two heavyweights as former sparring partners also made it very intriguing for the fans. Leading up to this fight, both Bon Gamin and The Predator were extremely confident in their skills and gave an early prediction for the fight. In what was a close battle, Francis Ngannou came out on top as he won the contest 46 – 49. 47 – 48. 47 – 48 via unanimous decision.
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Getting into the details of the bout, Ciryl Gane kept his distance and gained an early advantage in the first two rounds. He switched stances and ensured to stay away from Ngannou in dangerous positions. Consequently, the French fighter won the first two rounds as he outstriked Francis by a significant margin.
However, the heavyweight champion came back into the bout as he took a wrestling heavy approach in the third and fourth round. The Predator used his brute power to land a power slam which helped him equalise the fight. Moving forward let us take a look at Ciryl Gane’s mistake that led Francis Ngannou to defend his title.
What went wrong for Ciryl Gane against Francis Ngannou at UFC 270?
The winner of the fifth round would decide the title holder as both the fighters had won two rounds each. In the fifth round, The interim Champion who was under pressure landed a huge takedown and had Francis on a top position.
Bon Gamin was on course to win the title as he only had to control the champion on the ground for the next two to three minutes. However, Gane made a huge blunder as he gave up the top position in order to manoeuvre a heel hook. This move costed Ciryl the title as Francis got the control of him on the ground.
Thereafter Francis Ngannou controlled him on the ground for the rest of the round and claimed an unanimous decision victory. This mistake from Ciryl Gane came as a huge surprise as he usually displays great control on the ground and fights smartly.
However, it appears as if being under pressure after losing the momentum in the third and fourth round made him impatient due to which he went for the heel hook. It is needless to say that this loss would hurt Gane terribly as a single mistake cost him a title.