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https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/23/06/53261419-10426851-image-a-19_1642921166379.jpgFrancis Ngannou retained his heavyweight title with an unexpected wrestling-heavy performance at UFC 270

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Gane was slammed down to the mat in the third round in a moment that completely shifted the momentum

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The Frenchman had been performing well on the feet so perhaps did not expected Ngannou to attempt a takedown

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Ngannou revealed that he suffered major injuries to his knee before the fight but refused to withdraw from it

It was Gane who took Ngannou down for the first time in the bout but he made a fatal error, perhaps underlining his inexperience at the very top level.
The Frenchman attempted a leg lock but allowed Ngannou to reverse position and spend the majority of the round on top, leaving the judges in no doubt that the champion should retain his prize.

Most fighters, fans and pundits agreed that if the champion was going to win this fight, he would do it early, with a first or second round knockout, as he has done on his five previous meetings.

But Gane was too light on his feet, dancing in and out, not necessarily posing much of a threat himself but evading Ngannou's power punches easily and doing enough to win the first couple of rounds.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/23/06/53261237-10426851-image-a-10_1642920235789.jpg
Ciryl Gane attempted a leg lock to finish the fight but Ngannou managed to reverse the position in a key moment

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/23/06/53261239-10426851-image-a-12_1642920260819.jpg The champion spent the third, fourth and fifth rounds on top of Gane for the most part to claim a unanimous decision

Everything was going to plan for Gane and his coach, Fernand Lopez, who split acrimoniously with Ngannou in what formed the backdrop to much of the build-up to this showdown between former sparring partners.

But clearly the Ngannou who suffered so badly in the grappling exchanges in his first fight with Stipe Miocic is long gone.

What a frightening thought. The baddest man on the planet now has even more weapons at his disposal.

Alarm bells started ringing when Ngannou walked out at Honda Center in Anaheim with strapping on both of his knees. The commentary team admitted they had heard rumblings of an injury, that had been carefully concealed up to this point.

While the problem did not seem to impede the 35-year-old particularly, he revealed the true extent of the damage afterwards, telling Joe Rogan: 'It has been a very tough training camp, very tough.

'A lot of s*** happened. Three weeks ago I hurt my knee. Tore my medial cruciate ligament completely, hurt my ACL and other stuff.'

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/23/06/53261419-10426851-image-a-19_1642921166379.jpg
Gane managed to avoid the power punches but struggled to find any telling moments of his own in the fight


https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/23/07/53261417-10426851-image-a-22_1642921642988.jpg
Ngannou looked supremely confident but it took him 10 minutes to turn the tide of a fight slipping away from him


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Gane's kicks were effective early on in the fight and he managed the distance heroically at times before coming undone

The outcome is terrible news for Dana White and the UFC, who are at loggerheads with Ngannou about his contract and have been in dispute for months.

The UFC president refused to enter the cage and wrap the belt around his waist, as is custom, and reportedly failed to turn up to the post-fight press conference.

Ngannou is understood to have one fight left on his contract due to a clause that extends the deal by winning a championship bout, putting both him and the UFC in an awkward position having made his intention to box Tyson Fury or another heavyweight star in a lucrative cross-over bout.

It will be fascinating to see whether the organisation come to an agreement with the champion or decide to strip him of the title in punishment.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/23/07/53261739-10426851-image-a-26_1642921875621.jpg

Ngannou and Gane embraced and put the tension behind them at the conclusion of the 25 minutes in Anaheim


More images

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/23/06/1642918023105_lc_galleryImage_Jan_22_2022_Anaheim_Calif.JPG

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/23/06/1642918052020_lc_galleryImage_Jan_22_2022_Anaheim_Calif.JPG

meobizy:
Gane has made the heavyweight division sit up in style and performance. We have evolved from one hit knockouts to men over a hundred kilograms fighting like eighty kilogram combatants. I knew Francis would confuse the challenger with wrestling over a one hit kill, I didn’t expect him to beat Gane completely using the skill.

meobizy:
Gane has made the heavyweight division sit up in style and performance. We have evolved from one hit knockouts to men over a hundred kilograms fighting like eighty kilogram combatants. I knew Francis would confuse the challenger with wrestling over a one hit kill, I didn’t expect him to beat Gane completely using the skill.

YorubaKing:
I'm happy for Francis. This is his last fight and he can leave the UFC and that vampire, Dana White. Dude only gets paid $600K when he can make close to N40MM in professional boxing having AJ or Fury as opponents.