Home

Francis Ngannou keeps UFC heavyweight belt

Greg BeachamAP
Francis Ngannou has retained his heavyweight title, beating Ciryl Ganes in UFC 270.
Camera IconFrancis Ngannou has retained his heavyweight title, beating Ciryl Ganes in UFC 270. Credit: AP

Francis Ngannou retained his UFC heavyweight title with a surprising display of superior grappling in a unanimous-decision victory over previously unbeaten Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

Deiveson Figueiredo also beat Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision, concluding a thrilling fight trilogy by reclaiming the flyweight championship belt he lost to Moreno seven months ago.

Ngannou (17-3) defended his heavyweight belt for the first time with impressive perseverance against Gane (10-1), his fellow French citizen.

Both fighters possess incredible power and uncommonly fluid athleticism for big men, but the champion took control of a cagey fight in the third round with the first of several takedowns.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

Ngannou turned a match-up between fearsome strikers into a wrestling match that showcased his much-improved game on the ground.

The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 for Ngannou, who had never won a decision in his mixed martial arts career.

The Game AFL 2024

Figueiredo (21-2-1) won the penultimate bout 48-47 on all three judges' scorecards after a frenetic, physical addition to a rivalry that has featured 13 rounds of outstanding action over the last 13 months.

The trilogy began with a majority draw in December 2020 and continued with Moreno's third-round stoppage victory last June in Arizona.

Figueiredo and Moreno (19-6-2) traded big shots throughout the third bout, but the Brazilian winner rode a strong start to his first victory since November 2020.

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails