UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Conor McBragger
- 10 hours ago
- 7 min read
Introduction
UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane took place on Saturday, January 22, 2022 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It was the first UFC pay-per-view of 2022, the first heavyweight title unification fight in UFC history involving two reigning champions (undisputed and interim), and the night Francis Ngannou completed a five-round championship performance while reportedly competing on a torn ACL. The card produced an estimated 700,000 pay-per-view buys.
Francis Ngannou — the undisputed heavyweight champion who had won the title at UFC 260 — outpointed Ciryl Gane, the interim champion who had won the strap at UFC 265. Gane controlled the early striking exchanges with footwork and combinations; Ngannou shocked the MMA world by neutralising the Frenchman with takedowns and top control through the championship rounds. Final scorecards: 49-46, 48-47, 49-46. Ngannou was the undisputed heavyweight champion. He revealed shortly after that he had been competing on a torn ACL throughout the fight.
The co-main saw Deiveson Figueiredo reclaim the flyweight title from Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision (48-47 ×2, 47-48) in the third meeting of their championship rivalry — evening the series at 1-1-1.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, January 22, 2022
📍 Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, California, USA
👥 Attendance: 17,944 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $5.3 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~700,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Francis Ngannou (c) vs. Ciryl Gane (ic) — UFC Heavyweight Championship Unification (265 lbs)
✅ Result: Ngannou def. Gane via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46)
🥇 Co-Main: Deiveson Figueiredo def. Brandon Moreno (c) via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48) — Flyweight Title (trilogy)
The Build-Up
Francis Ngannou's path to UFC 270 had been the most contentious of any reigning UFC champion. He had won the title at UFC 260 in March 2021, then spent the rest of 2021 in a public contract dispute with the UFC that had prevented his participation in the interim title fight at UFC 265. The unification with Ciryl Gane — his former training partner at Paris MMA Factory — had been agreed only after months of negotiation. Ngannou was 16-3 entering the fight with 11 UFC KOs.
Ciryl Gane was the most refined striker in heavyweight history. The interim champion had won six UFC fights in 18 months, was 10-0, and had outclassed Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 to claim the interim belt. The pre-fight cycle was personal — the two had trained together at Paris MMA Factory for years before falling out over coaching politics, and the betting had Gane as a -180 favourite. Most analysts expected Gane to outpoint Ngannou over five rounds.
The co-main was the flyweight trilogy. Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno had fought to a majority draw at UFC 256 in December 2020, with Moreno winning the rematch and the title at UFC 263 in June 2021. The trilogy at UFC 270 was the third fight in 13 months — the shortest turnaround for a three-fight series in UFC championship history.
Main Event: Ngannou vs. Gane
Rounds one and two were Gane's. The Frenchman used lateral footwork to circle off the cage, picked at Ngannou's lead leg with calf kicks, and landed clean jab-cross combinations whenever the champion pressed forward. By the end of round two, Gane had landed 56 significant strikes to Ngannou's 24. The judges had it 20-18 Gane.
Round three was where Ngannou changed the fight — by going to his wrestling. The champion shot for a takedown at 2:30, brought Gane to the canvas, and finished the round on top. Round four was similar: Ngannou's takedowns nullified Gane's striking, and the Cameroonian's pressure neutralised the lateral movement that had given him the first two rounds.
Round five was the decider. Ngannou pressed Gane against the cage for most of the round, scored a takedown at 2:00, and held top position through the final minute. Final scorecards: 49-46, 48-47, 49-46 for Ngannou. The undisputed and interim titles had been unified. Ngannou was the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
Ngannou revealed shortly after the fight — in a post-event interview and confirmed by post-fight medicals — that he had been competing on a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) throughout the bout. The injury had occurred in training camp three weeks before the fight; he had chosen to compete rather than withdraw. The performance was instantly identified as one of the most courageous championship efforts in UFC history.
UFC 270 was Ngannou's final UFC fight. He underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in March 2022, allowed his UFC contract to expire in January 2023, and signed with the PFL in May 2023. He did not return to UFC competition. He fought a single boxing exhibition against Tyson Fury in October 2023 (technical knockout loss) and made his PFL debut in October 2023 (KO of Renan Ferreira).
Co-Main Event: Figueiredo vs. Moreno 3
The third fight of the year-long Figueiredo-Moreno series was the most technical of the four. Figueiredo — visibly bigger and stronger after a full training camp — used his leg kicks and clinch knees to control the first three rounds. Moreno pressed forward in rounds four and five but could not find the openings that had worked at UFC 263.
Final scorecards: 48-47, 48-47, 47-48. Deiveson Figueiredo was the UFC flyweight champion again. The Figueiredo-Moreno series ledger evened to 1-1-1 — the fourth fight would not come until UFC 283 in January 2023, where Moreno would win by third-round TKO to make the final ledger 2-1-1 in his favour.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Francis Ngannou (c) def. Ciryl Gane (ic) — Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46) — Heavyweight Title Unification
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Brandon Moreno (c) — Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48) — Flyweight Title (trilogy)
Michel Pereira def. Andre Fialho — KO (punches) — R1, 0:43 — Welterweight
Said Nurmagomedov def. Cody Stamann — Submission (guillotine choke) — R1, 4:54 — Bantamweight
Rodolfo Vieira def. Wellington Turman — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R1, 4:23 — Middleweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Ronaldo Rodriguez def. N/A (Correction: Daniel Pineda def. Tony Kelley via TKO R2) — Featherweight
Ilia Topuria def. Jai Herbert — KO (punches) — R2, 4:33 — Lightweight
Vanessa Demopoulos def. Silvana Gomez Juarez — Submission (armbar) — R1, 1:36 — Strawweight
Matt Frevola def. Genaro Valdez — TKO (punches) — R1, 1:46 — Lightweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Michel Pereira — $50,000 for the 43-second KO of Andre Fialho.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Said Nurmagomedov — $50,000 for the first-round guillotine choke submission of Cody Stamann.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Ilia Topuria — $50,000 for the second-round KO of Jai Herbert.
Records & Milestones
• First UFC heavyweight title unification fight in promotion history involving two reigning champions (undisputed and interim).
• Francis Ngannou competed on a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) — one of the most courageous championship performances in UFC history.
• Ngannou's first successful UFC heavyweight title defense and his final UFC fight — he allowed his contract to expire in January 2023.
• Third fight of the Figueiredo-Moreno series in 13 months — the shortest three-fight championship series in UFC history.
• Figueiredo became the first flyweight champion to win the belt back after losing it.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 270 is remembered as the night Francis Ngannou's championship era ended in the same fight where it reached its peak. The ACL revelation, the contract dispute, and Ngannou's eventual departure from the UFC made the night the formal close of one of the most marketable heavyweight reigns in UFC history. Ngannou underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in March 2022 and never fought in the UFC again.
For Ciryl Gane, the loss was a teaching moment. He bounced back to win a top-contender bout against Tai Tuivasa at UFC FN: Paris in September 2022, then lost his second UFC heavyweight title shot to Jon Jones at UFC 285 in March 2023 by first-round submission. He has remained a top-three heavyweight contender into the mid-2020s.
For the heavyweight division, Ngannou's departure created an immediate vacancy that was filled at UFC 285 in March 2023 when Jon Jones moved up from light-heavyweight and submitted Ciryl Gane to claim the heavyweight title. The Ngannou era of dominance was over by the time UFC 270 concluded; the post-Ngannou era began roughly 14 months later.
For the Figueiredo-Moreno series, UFC 270 was the third of four bouts. The series ledger after UFC 270 was 1-1-1; the fourth fight at UFC 283 in January 2023 (Moreno TKO R3) made the final 2-1-1 Moreno. The four-fight series remains the longest championship rivalry in UFC flyweight history.
FAQ
Did Ngannou really fight on a torn ACL?
Yes. Ngannou revealed in a post-fight interview that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and a medial collateral ligament (MCL) approximately three weeks before the fight in training camp. Post-fight medical imaging confirmed the injury. He had chosen to compete rather than withdraw and pull out of the unification bout. The performance — wrestling Gane to the canvas through three championship rounds on a torn ACL — has been widely identified as one of the most courageous championship efforts in UFC history.
Why did Ngannou leave the UFC?
Contract dispute. Ngannou had been negotiating with the UFC for over a year about a new contract — he sought guaranteed money, increased pay-per-view shares, and other concessions the UFC was not willing to provide. After UFC 270, Ngannou underwent ACL reconstruction surgery and the UFC was unwilling to negotiate during his recovery. His contract expired in January 2023; he became a free agent and signed with the PFL in May 2023. He has not fought in the UFC since.
Did Ngannou and Gane ever fight again?
No. UFC 270 was the only meeting between them. Ngannou left the UFC in 2023; Gane has remained in the UFC. They have not crossed paths since. Final ledger: 1-0 Ngannou. The Paris-MMA-Factory training-partner rivalry has remained a closed chapter.
How many times did Figueiredo and Moreno fight in total?
Four times across 26 months: the draw at UFC 256 (December 2020), Moreno's title win at UFC 263 (June 2021), Figueiredo's title-reclaim win at UFC 270 (January 2022), and Moreno's final TKO win at UFC 283 (January 2023). Final ledger: 2-1-1 Moreno.
Who is the current UFC heavyweight champion?
After Ngannou's UFC departure, the title was vacated. Jon Jones moved up from light-heavyweight and won the vacant title at UFC 285 in March 2023 by first-round submission of Ciryl Gane. Jones defended the title successfully against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November 2024 (TKO R3) before vacating the belt and announcing his retirement in mid-2025. The title has changed hands multiple times since.
How does UFC 270 compare to UFC 269?
UFC 270 drew approximately 700,000 PPV buys versus UFC 269 (700,000) six weeks earlier — essentially even numbers. The gate of $5.3 million was similar to UFC 269's $5.5 million. Both cards were anchored by championship-defining results: UFC 269 had Pena's upset of Nunes; UFC 270 had Ngannou's torn-ACL unification.
Comments