Francis Ngannou defends UFC heavyweight title
UFC champion Francis Ngannou on Sunday defeated his former teammate Cyril Gane in a surprising unanimous decision at the UFC 270.
Amidst all the drama heading into the fight, such as his contract, fighting his former teammate, his former coach, Ngannou came in the underdog.
Pre-fight revelations of a torn MCL and the fact that he wore knee guards did not help Ngannou’s prospects entering into the contest with the interim champion.
The first two rounds were pretty straight forward as the interim champion evaded the big shots, countered well and used his foot work effectively.
Round 3 was going much the same way until Gane threw a wild kick which Ngannou caught before unloading a ferocious slam right into side control.
The round ended with the champ on top. As if he got a new lease on life, Ngannou again engaged in grappling in the fourth and fifth rounds, controlled the fight and pulled out a unanimous decision win, becoming the undisputed champion.
This was the last fight on Ngannou’s UFC contract and it’s yet to see if he will fight again under the promotion’s banner or if he will chase opportunities in other promotions or in boxing.
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