On Saturday night, Francis Ngannou retained the UFC heavyweight
championship by unanimously defeating previously undefeated Cyril Gein for an
incredible grappling edge at UFC 270.
Deiveson Figueiredo completed an exciting trilogy by defeating
Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision to reclaim the flyweight championship belt
that Moreno had lost seven months earlier.
Ngannou (173) first defended his heavyweight title with tenacity
against his French compatriot Gane (101).
Both fighters have incredible strength and unusually fluid
athleticism for a bulky man, but the champion led the dodge fight in round
three with several takedowns from round one. Ngannou turned a fight between two
powerful forwards into a wrestling match in order to show off his vastly
improved ground game.
Ngannou received 4847, 4847, and 4946
points from the judges. In his mixed martial arts career, Ngannou has never
made a decision. The Associated Press also scored 4,847 points against Ngannou,
a Cameroonian-born French national who trains in Las Vegas.
In his professional MMA debut after three
and a half years and ten games, Gein appeared to have an advantage in the first
two rounds of his first title fight with great punches as both fighters looked
to each other's strengths. Ngannou wrapped his knees lightly inside the cage, implying
that rumors about his leg health were true.
Gein gained confidence and began to mix in
some kicks and spins, but Ngannou changed the game in the third inning by
grabbing his hand under Gein's leg and lifting him down. Although Gane has
never been knocked out in his UFC career, Ngannou has done so on multiple
occasions in rounds 3 and 4, demonstrating significantly improved combat and
Ghane's defensive weakness.
Ngannou kicked in the fifth, but Gané
recovered and tried to grip his heel. The bid failed, as Ngannou regained first
place and confidently ended the match.
Figueiredo (2121) won the second-to-last
4847 games on the scorecard for all three umpires following a furious addition
to a competition comprising tremendous action in 13 rounds over the preceding
13 months. The trilogy began with a majority tie in December 2020 and ended
with Moreno's third-round strike triumph in Arizona last June.
Figueiredo and Moreno (born 1962) traded
hard blows in their third fight, but the Brazilian winner got out to a fast
start in their first victory since November 2020. Fans went 110 kilometers from
Tijuana, Mexico, to watch the first Mexican-born UFC champion. The referees
awarded Figueireda a slender advantage, but he does not believe his opponents
are defeated.
"I'm excited about my fourth game
versus Brandon in Mexico," Figueiredo stated.
In a grueling first round at the Honda
Center, Figueiredo, with platinum hair and red stripes, demonstrated a landing
kick and swift dexterity against the champion. They had several interesting
standup exchanges in the third round. Everyone was hurt and made a full
recovery. Both Figueiredo and Moreno were wounded after Figueiredo struck
Moreno in the temple with his right hand with eight seconds remaining in the
round.
Moreno's punches escalated in the fourth
inning, and he succeeded in a stunning upper body takedown in the fifth. In a
violent fifth round that culminated in 30 seconds of frenzied swings and
punches, both combatants failed to accomplish their jobs.
Moreno's followers chanted, "S se
pueda!" again and over. And in Orange County, where MMA is popular, the
champs were applauded for everything they did. Moreno has the backing of Los
Angeles' large Mexican-American population as well as numerous travel enthusiasts.
Last summer, Moreno earned his championship
in the final bout of the trilogy. With exceptional triumphs in the burgeoning
sport and a visit with the president, he became Mexico's national hero.
Figueiredo, a Brazilian veteran who fought
four times in 2020 while defending his championship, responded to his second
career loss by working with former two-division UFC champ Henry Cejudo and
revamping his game plan to deal with Moreno's approach.
Ngannou won his championship in March of
last year, capping up a hard road to the top. He was billed as a potential
champion almost from the moment he introduced his scary power to the UFC, but
mental breakdowns and surprising losses slowed his rise until a five-fight
winning run culminated in a stoppage of champion Stipe Miocic.
Gain has been slowly working her way
towards a championship chance since her MMA debut in 2018. The dynamic Muay
Thai champion kickboxer won his first seven UFC fights before defeating Derek
Lewis for the interim heavyweight belt last summer.