The first major MMA show of the 2022 calendar is the UFC 270 event taking place at the Honda Center, with Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane, the showpiece event of the night.
The event is taking place in Anaheim, California, and the fight between the two contrasting heavyweights promises to be a classic.
In total there are 14 fights on the UFC 270 card. Five of those fights make up the Main Card, with four on the Preliminary Card, and a further five fights on the Early Prelims card.
- Event – UFC 270
- Fight – Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane | Heavyweight Title Fight
- Where – Honda Center, Anaheim, California, USA
- When – Sunday, January 23rd, 2022 (UK timezone)
- Time – Main Card – 3am GMT
All of the above times are approximate. So make sure you are watching before the start times to be certain you don’t miss any of the exciting action.
On This Page; You Will Find -
Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane Betting @ UFC 270
What better way for the UFC to get their first main PPV showpiece event of the year started than with a massive Heavyweight Championship fight.
This is classed as a title unification bout between the current champions Francis Ngannou, and the interim champion Ciryl Gane.
The best sports betting sites can’t separate them in their latest betting odds.
Betfair price up Ngannou at Evens (2.00), and they have Gane at 4/5 (1.80), showing just how close this fight is expected to be.
Francis Ngannou – the UFC’s Hardest Puncher
Nicknamed the Predator, 35-year-old Francis Ngannou is said to have produced the hardest punch ever recorded in history at the UFC Performance Institute in 2017.
Ngannou’s overall MMA record reads 16-3. All of Ngannou’s three losses in MMA have come via decision. To date, he hasn’t been stopped.
Ngannou previously fought on the European circuit (5-1), before joining the UFC in 2015.
At the UFC his record reads 11-2, with both the defeats coming in 2018. Since the back-to-back defeats at UFC 220 and UFC 226, Ngannou has won five straight fights.
He is currently ranked No.4 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.
His most recent win was a 2nd round knock-out of Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, back in March 2021.
The KO not only saw Ngannou win the Performance of the Night award but also saw him crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Gane is Unbeaten in MMA
As for Ciryl Gane, the 31-year-old Frenchman is undefeated as a professional fighter.
A kickboxer by trade, Gane has a 13 and 0 record from his days in the world of Muay Thai.
Since turning his attention to MMA, Gane has an almost equally impressive record with 10 wins and zero defeats (no draws either).
Four of those wins have come by way of knockout, three by submission, with three by decision.
Gane originally fought MMA in the Canadian TKO events, winning all three. He debuted in the UFC in August 2019, where he beat Raphael Pessoa by submission.
In total, Gane has fought seven times at UFC events, winning all seven.
In his most recent contest, Gane beat UFC knockout record holder Derrick Lewis by TKO, to win the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship belt, which also saw him take the Performance of the Night award.
This fight took place in August 2021, at the UFC 265 event, in Houston, Texas.
Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane – Who Will Win?
This is the sort of match-up that makes Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC such an enthralling spectacle.
In boxing, it’s often said that styles make fights, and this is exactly the case here.
We have the raw power of Ngannou, against the skill, speed, and technique of Gane. And make no mistake, Gane is pretty powerful for such a technical guy.
If Gane can avoid the punching power of Ngannou and take the fight the distance, I think he wins on the decision.
So far in the UFC, both of Ngannou’s defeats have come via decision. He is yet to be stopped!
One of Ngannou’s two defeats came at the hands of Derrick Lewis, a man Gane dismantled in his last fight, winning by TKO.
Fellow UFC heavyweight Tai Tuivasa states that Gane is a new breed of heavyweight. One that can mix speed and power in equal measure.
Tuivasa also mentioned that he believes Ngannou has the power to finish the fight in one punch, and that can’t be disputed.
One-Punch or Technical Wizardry?
So in summary, it’s a straight toss-up between the power of Ngannou and the technical ability of Gane.
And the fact that it seems to be a toss-up is what makes it so intriguing, and why the UFC Betting Sites are struggling to call a betting favorite.
In close calls like this, I like to weigh up the pros and cons. Youth v Experience, or Speed v Power, etc.
In this fight, I’m going to go with the man with more experience.
Yes, Ngannou is 35 and the older man, but in his case, age is just a number. I think he is still nimble enough to land the big shot needed.
Ngannou is still in his prime, and for that reason, I’m going for him to land the knockout blow and win inside the distance.