UFC 270 is in the books, and it saw two intriguing title bouts. In the main event, Francis Ngannou showed a new wrinkle to his game as he successfully defended his heavyweight crown.
If you told me before tonight that Ngannou would lose the first two rounds but win the final three, I wouldn’t have believed you. Add how he’ll do all that by out-grappling Gane to win a decision and I would’ve thought you were absolutely crazy. But that’s exactly what happened, and apparently he was dealing with a completely torn MCL as well.
It didn’t have the same highlight reel as his previous fights, but the idea of Ngannou still constantly improving and truly rounding out his game is a pretty scary thought for other heavyweights.
In the co-main event, Deiveson Figueiredo made some quality adjustments to his overall game, and got his belt back from Brandon Moreno. He was more patient, didn’t head hunt, and in turn, didn’t put himself in bad situations — especially on the ground. It was still very competitive and very entertaining, and honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing a fourth fight.
Below, we analyze the pros and cons of each of the key bouts, with a quick twitter thread that’s short and fitting for people’s social media era attention spans:
MORALES TKOs GILES
PROS: Morales stayed composed after getting cracked early, turned the tide, and got the finish. 13-0 now for this young prospect.
CONS: Giles will probably regret clinching after landing that big shot. Very late stoppage. So much unnecessary damage.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 23, 2022
NURMAGOMEDOV CHOKES OUT STAMANN
CONS: None!
PROS: That was fast and clean. It’s not just the different grip, the set up for that guillotine was pretty too. https://t.co/CBb37SFkE1
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 23, 2022
PEREIRA BUSTS UP FIALHO
PROS: Pereira is (unsurprisingly) involved in another wild fight. He was disciplined (by his standards) and looked sharp, leaving Fialho with no answer to those front kicks.
CONS: Nothing really, that could actually be FOTN on other cards.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 23, 2022
FIGUEIREDO GETS BELT BACK FROM MORENO
CONS: Nada!
PROS: Such a great fight, and evenly matched rivalry. Figgy came out more composed and patient, and it paid off big. He always had power, but now he didn’t overcommit and put himself in bad situations. https://t.co/rmzgo9PkW7
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 23, 2022
NGANNOU OUT-GRAPPLES GANE
PROS: How many predicted Ngannou would win the last 3 rounds AND do it by grappling? Ngannou showed more layers to his game, apparently even with a torn MCL. Interesting to see what happens to his contract now.
CONS: Pettiness? https://t.co/o6DfdrNZ9y
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 23, 2022
#UFC270 OVERALL
PROS: Figgy-Moreno was great, AGAIN. A well-rounded Ngannou is a scary idea. Will UFC pay Ngannou now? Will he be 1st to escape the champion’s clause? Either way this situation could be good for fighters
CONS: Ref issues. Not a strong undercard, but it delivered
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 23, 2022
And that’s about it. For more social media musings, follow me on twitter over at @antontabuena, and of course you should do that for Bloody Elbow’s official twitter account as well.
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