The Ultimate Fighting Championship headed to Honda Center in Anaheim, California tonight for UFC 270: “Ngannou vs Gane.” The card was headlined by a UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Championship bout between Francis “The Predator” Ngannou and interim titleholder Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane.
In the co-main event, UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon “The Assassin Baby” Moreno faced off against former champ Deiveson “Deus da Guerra” Figueiredo for a third time. Michel “Demolidor” Pereira met Andre Fialho at welterweight. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC 270 card.
UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Championship
Francis “The Predator” Ngannou vs Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane
Round 1:
Gane tried to take the fight to the ground right away and Ngannou defended, resulting in a clinch against the cage. Ngannou landed a knee and Gane released the clinch. Ngannou initiated a clinch of his own and he landed a knee to the body. Gane answered with a back elbow strike, but Ngannou flurried with punches to the body and Gane was forced to circle away. He jabbed and landed a spinning back kick to the body. After a knee from Gane, Ngannou tied him up in a clinch and Gane reversed it. Gane landed short knees to Ngannou’s leg and body. The fighters broke apart and Gane landed a front kick to the body. Close opening round. 10-9 Gane due to the strong finish.
Round 2:
Ngannou landed a front kick to Gane’s leg in the second round and Gane answered with a side kick to the stomach. A quick one-two scored for Gane, but Ngannou landed an uppercut in response. Gane kept his distance and picked his shots with a body kick and a lead right hook. Ngannou missed with a looping right hand and he clinched with Gane, who pushed him away. Gane partially landed with a spinning wheel kick to the side of Ngannou’s head. In the final minute, Ngannou landed a kick to the body and Gane kept his distance with leg kicks until the bell. 10-9 Gane.
Round 3:
Ngannou caught a kick from Gane and slammed him down to the mat in the third round. Ngannou landed on top in side control and he passed to mount, which forced Gane to give up his back. Ngannou landed punches to the side of Gane’s head and then tried for a rear-naked choke, but Gane spun to his right and escaped. Both men stood up and Ngannou whipped Gane down with a whizzer. Gane quickly stood back up and both men landed short knees in a clinch. Gane broke away with an elbow and Ngannou scored with a right hook. He noticeably slowed down, but still landed a leg kick and a lead left hook before tripping Gane to the mat. Gane tried for a kimura from the bottom, but gave it up and Ngannou finished the round on top. 10-9 Ngannou.
Round 4:
Following an initial exchange of leg kicks, Gane landed a jab and a spinning back kick to the body. Ngannou landed a body kick and that allowed him to clinch with Gane against the cage. He took Gane down and peppered him with punches from back control as Gane got to his knees and stood up. Ngannou dragged him down again and almost got to mount. Gane was able to retain half-guard and he sat up against the cage. Ngannou landed a knee to Gane’s upper chest that was just barely legal, then followed with left hands to his face. 10-9 Ngannou.
Round 5:
Gane grazed with a looping right hook early in the final round and he jabbed to the body. Ngannou landed a right hook as Gane stepped forward with a one-two. Gane took Ngannou down into half-guard and Ngannou managed to get back to full guard. He used a scissor sweep from the bottom to take top position in Gane’s half-guard. Gane went for a heel hook on Ngannou’s left leg, but Ngannou pulled his leg out and he retook top position. In Gane’s half-guard, Ngannou landed short right hands to Gane’s body and Gane got to a seated position. Ngannou eyed a guillotine choke and then pulled out Gane’s arm to prevent him from posting up. Ngannou remained on top and he landed short punches just before the final bell. 10-9 Ngannou.
Winner: Francis Ngannou by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 17-3-0 and remains the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
UFC Flyweight Championship
Deiveson “Deus da Guerra” Figueiredo vs Brandon “The Assassin Baby” Moreno
Round 1:
Figueiredo struck first with two leg kicks, but he lost his balance throwing the second one and Moreno chased after him with punches. He clinched with Figueiredo against the cage, but Figueiredo reversed the clinch and he landed short knees to Moreno’s legs. When the fighters separated just before the midway point in the round, Figueiredo landed a hard leg kick. He followed with another one, but Moreno countered with a right hook that buckled Figueiredo’s legs momentarily. Figueiredo recovered right away and he took Moreno’s back, then dragged him down to the mat. Moreno scrambled free and got back to his feet, and Figueiredo grazed with a right hand. Moreno kicked at Figueiredo’s lead leg and Figueiredo landed one of his own at the bell. 10-9 Figueiredo.
Round 2:
Figueiredo latched on to Moreno’s leg and tried to take him down in the second round, but Moreno stayed on his feet and he landed an overhand right. Figueiredo landed a leg kick and an overhand right. He attempted a spinning back kick, but Moreno caught it and dumped him to the mat. Figueiredo returned to his feet and he landed a lead left hook. A combination and a leg kick scored for Moreno as he walked forward. Moreno tried to set up a takedown with a jab, but Figueiredo pushed him away. He flurried to the body and Moreno countered with a left hook. Figueiredo landed a big right hook, but Moreno barely flinched and he cracked Figueiredo with a strong left hook in return. Close second round. 10-9 Moreno.
Round 3:
Moreno rushed in with a knee attempt in round three, but Figueiredo countered with a takedown and he landed a knee to the body on the way up. Leg kicks were exchanged and Figueiredo stunned Moreno with a left hook. Moreno lost his balance and rolled backwards, but he recovered quickly and hurt Figueiredo with a two-punch combo. Figueiredo recovered, but Moreno continued to pressure him with jabs. Figueiredo landed a hard leg kick and Moreno lost his balance. It did not stop him from darting forward with a flurry of punches, however. Figueiredo landed another leg kick, but Moreno countered a second one with a right hook. Both men landed left hooks and Moreno finished with a leg kick. He landed two more left hooks and grazed with a head kick, but Figueiredo dropped him with an overhand right and trapped Moreno in a guillotine choke. 10-9 Figueiredo due to the late knockdown.
Round 4:
The fourth round began with Figueiredo landing a leg kick. He followed with another one and Moreno missed with a wild left hook. Figueiredo switched stances and landed a body kick, then three quick punches and a chopping leg kick. Moreno jabbed and Figueiredo attempted a leg-sweep takedown. Moreno stayed on his feet and Figueiredo took his back against the cage. Moreno broke free in the final round and he landed an elbow and a flurry of uppercuts. Figueiredo blocked a head kick and landed a kick to Moreno’s body. Another close round. 10-9 Figueiredo.
Round 5:
Moreno secured a body lock and took Figueiredo down in the opening seconds of round five. He could not keep Figueiredo down, however, and the fight returned to the feet. Figueiredo stuffed a takedown and he landed a lead left hook. With just over two minutes to go, Figueiredo dropped Moreno with a right hook. Moreno quickly rose to his feet and countered with a left hand, and Figueiredo landed a head kick. In the final 30 seconds, Figueiredo landed three big right hooks, but Moreno stayed on his feet and he hurt Figueiredo with counter lefts before time expired. Very difficult fight to score. 10-9 Moreno, barely.
Winner: Deiveson Figueiredo by Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 21-2-1 and becomes the new UFC Flyweight Champion.
Michel “Demolidor” Pereira vs Andre Fialho
Round 1:
Fialho missed with an early spinning back kick attempt and Pereira countered with a right hand. Pereira sprung off of the cage with a Superman Punch and flurried with more punches as Fialho backed up. Pereira continued to dart in and out until Fialho knocked him off-balance with a counter jab. Fialho continued to jab until Pereira grazed with an overhand right. Fialho backed Pereira up to the cage with a three-punch combo of hooks and an uppercut, but Pereira circled away to his left. He jumped forward with a flying knee attempt that missed. Blood began to pour from Pereira’s nose as a result of the flurry from Fialho, and he landed two more hooks before shrugging off a Pereira takedown attempt. Late in the round, Pereira slipped and fell after missing with a knee and Fialho landed hammerfists from the top. 10-9 Fialho.
Round 2:
Pereira landed an overhand right in the second round and he followed with another one as Fialho moved forward. Pereira rocked Fialho with punches and then launched himself into the air with a flying knee. Fialho clinched with him briefly and Pereira moved away. He somersaulted forward and landed a right hook. Fialho came alive with two counter left hooks and Pereira swarmed on him with punches and knees to the head and body. He trapped Fialho in a Thai clinch and continued to land knees. Fialho responded with right hooks to Pereira’s body and Pereira separated from the clinch. He landed a front kick to the body and another Superman Punch. Pereira attacked Fialho’s upper and lower body with kicks as Fialho slowed down. Late in the round, after landing a combination, Pereira took Fialho down against the cage. 10-9 Pereira.
Round 3:
Fialho landed a counter right hook early in the final round and Pereira began to back up and circle to his left. He landed a counter left hook and continued to circle from side to side as Fialho tried to close the distance. Pereira dove at his ankle, but he could not get Fialho down. Back on the feet, Pereira landed a right hook and Fialho clinched. Pereira broke free and he just missed with a winging right hook. He landed a front kick and a right hand, which was answered by a counter right from Fialho and a hard jab. Pereira’s offensive output began to slow down, but he continued to move from side to side and landed a right hand. Time was called when Fialho was front kicked in the groin. He recovered after a minute and chased after Pereira once the fight was restarted. Big right hands were exchanged to end the fight and Pereira landed the better shots. Close final round. 10-9 Pereira by a slim margin.
Winner: Michel Pereira by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 27-11-0, 2 NC.
Said Nurmagomedov vs Cody “The Spartan” Stamann
Round 1:
Nurmagomedov started quickly with a right hand, a spinning backfist and a spinning back kick to the body. Stamann tied him up in a clinch, but Nurmagomedov locked on a tight power guillotine choke and he used it to pull Stamann down to the ground. Stamann had nowhere to go and tapped out within seconds.
Winner: Said Nurmagomedov by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:47 of round one. He improves to 15-2-0.
Michael Morales vs Trevin “The Problem” Giles
Round 1:
Giles attacked Morales’s lead leg with kicks and then knocked him down with a right-left combo. Morales stood up and Giles held him in a prolonged clinch before tripping him to the mat. Giles worked for an arm-triangle choke from the top, but Morales rolled him over and Giles maintained the choke from the bottom. He was unable to apply enough pressure and gave up on the choke, then stood up. Giles landed two body kicks, but Morales rocked and dropped him with a counter right hook. Giles survived the onslaught of punches on the ground and stood up, but Morales dropped him again. He blasted Giles with hammerfists on the ground as a kneeling Giles covered up and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Michael Morales by TKO (Punches) at 4:06 of round one. He improves to 13-0-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)