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UFC 270 Highlights: Francis Ngannou Out-Grapples Cyril Gane

MMA UFC
Ewan Ross Jan 23, 2022 1:25AM

UFC 270 saw two tightly contested title bouts with surprising outcomes at the top of the card and a string of impressive debuts further down the card.

Check out all the highlights after the jump.

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Francis Ngannou (C) def. Cyril Gane (IC) via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)

In a highly unexpected fight, Francis Ngannou had to rely on a newly found grappling game to get the decision victory over Cyril Gane. Gane did well and took the first two rounds through his range striking, but once Ngannou turned to his wrestling game and controlled most of the fight after that. Ngannou revealed in the post-fight interview that he was fighting on a torn MCL, so makes his performance all the more impressive.

(#1) Deiveson Figueiredo def. Brandon Moreno (C) via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

In an outstanding addition to their trilogy, Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo went to war and had an incredibly competitive back and forth bout that saw Figueiredo emerge with the narrow decision victory. Essentially every round was tight, with Figueiredo relying on low kicks to limit Moreno's mobility. The fight was truly excellent and sets up a fourth fight to break the tie.

Michel Pereira def. Andre Fialho via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Michel Pereira weathered a tough first round to rally back and get the decision victory. Pereira continued to show that he's limited some of his more outrageous techniques, but still managed to throw in a flip or two. A night of impressive debuts continued as Andre Fialho got off to an impressive start, and tho he lost to an improved Pereira it was a good showing.

Said Nurmagomedov def. (#15) Cody Stamann by submission via guillotine choke (0:47, R1)

In an incredibly impressive performance, Said Nurmagomedov returned to the octagon for the first time since October 2020 by demolishing Cody Stamann in under a minute. Nurmagomedov landed two spinning attacks almost immediately, worked to a trip takedown and immediately locked up a choke to finish the fight in under a minute.

Michael Morales def. Trevin Giles via TKO (4:06, R1)

In an upset, Michael Morales scored a big TKO victory over Trevin Giles by first surviving a knockdown early in the round, and then coming back to flatten Giles with a couple huge right hands. An impressive debut for the Ecuadorian fighter.

Victor Henry def. Raoni Barcelos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

In an incredible debut performance, Victor Henry poured on the volume and overwhelmed Raoni Barcelos to capture the massive upset decision victory over the incredibly tough Brazilian. It would be an impressive performance under any circumstances, but to take the fight on short notice is worthy of commendation. A truly great fight.

Jack Della Maddalena def. Pete Rodriguez via TKO (3:00, R1)

Jack Della Maddalena wasted no time putting away late replacement Pete Rodriguez, breaking his nose early in the round, and fighting behind a brilliant jab to eventually land a knockdown and put Rodriguez away. A very good performance for a name to watch in the middleweight division.

Tony Gravely def. Saimon Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Tony Gravely utilized his superior wrestling to grind out a victory over UFC newcomer Simon Oliveira in a less than thrilling affair. Oliveira attempted approximately a thousand guillotine attempts in his efforts to stop Gravely's wrestling, but none of them were even remotely effective.

Matt Frevola def. Genaro Valdez via TKO (3:15, R1)

Matt Frevola completely demolished Genaro Valdez, knocking him down six times in the span of just over three minutes. While Valdez refused to go away, the stoppage was way too late. None of this should take away from a spectacular performance from Frevola.

Vanessa Demopoulos def. Silvana Gomez Juarez by submission via armbar (2:25, R1)

In a thrilling bout, Vanessa Demopoulos scored a shocking comeback submission victory over Silvana Gomez Juarez. Gomez Juarez dropped Demopoulos with a huge right hand that Demopoulos admitted briefly put her out in her post-fight interview, but Demopoulos stayed calm on the ground, controlled Gomez Juarez' arm and swept her to complete the submission. A very impressive performance punctuated by a thoroughly entertaining post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Kay Hansen via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Jasmine Jasudavicius showed a well-rounded game in her UFC debut by scoring multiple takedowns and using her range well while striking against Kay Hansen to earn the decision victory. Hansen moving up a division looked very small.

Fightful MMA's full report on UFC 270 can be found by clicking HERE.

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