UFC 270 Predictions

Date: January 20, 2022

By: Joe Lakhman

Honda Center.com

The UFC will begin 2022 with a bang, as Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou headline UFC 270 on Jan. 22. The two will go head-to-head in a clash of the titans of the heavyweight division with the winner emerging as the unified UFC heavyweight champion.

However, the only thing better than one title fight is two. In the co-main event Brandon Moreno will take on Deiveson Figueiredo to complete their trilogy for the UFC flyweight title.

I will preview the matchups as well as give my predictions for the two title fights below.

Moreno vs. Figueiredo 3

Moreno takes on Figueiredo in an UFC fight.

Jeff Botari/Zuffa LFC

Before we dive into their third fight, let’s take a look at what went down in the first two. The first fight happened at UFC 256 in what ended up easily being a fight of the year contender.

The bout ended in a majority draw and set up a highly anticipated rematch. In June 2021, the consensus was that Figueiredo would come out with the same aggressive mentality that brought him success in the first fight, but that wasn’t the case.

Moreno showed tremendous improvement since the first bout and ended up submitting Figueiredo in the third round to become the first Mexican-born UFC champion.

It's #UFC270 Fight Week!!

Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane
Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueiredo pic.twitter.com/nXRqVo1KJY
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 17, 2022

Moreno has proven to be a formidable foe for everyone that he has faced thus far, as he has never been finished during a fight in his career to this point. He is certainly the most talented opponent that Figueiredo has faced.

Figueiredo’s downfall was his striking defense, as he continually left his guard open and fell victim to the jab. Even though Moreno has struggled with fighters who fought aggressively like Figueiredo and Alexandre Pantoja, I believe that Figueiredo will need to do more than just plan for the jab.

Figueiredo looks to take on his opponent during an UFC match.

Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

“The Assassin Baby” has proven that he can absorb power punches and has established a clear advantage in the ground game. The third fight of this trilogy will be nothing short of spectacular, with both fighters leaving it all out there in the octagon.

At the end of the day, I think it’ll be Moreno that gets his hand raised and will retain his title with a stoppage. He is only getting started in this division, and winning this trilogy is only the first step in establishing his spot atop the food chain.

Gane vs. Ngannou

A UFC 270 graphic is shown with Ngannou and Gane.

ESPN Pressroom

The night will be capped off with Ciryl Gane facing Francis Ngannou in a heavyweight unification title fight. This fight is the age-old story of power vs. finesse.

Ngannou has now become the most feared fighter in the heavyweight division, as he has steamrolled every opponent that has been thrown his way. He has shown improvement across all aspects and even proved that he can now defend against takedowns in his last fight against Stipe Miocic.

Biggest fight week of his life?! You wouldn't know it!

Watch Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane at #UFC270 this Saturday! pic.twitter.com/dKjYTb0g3o
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 20, 2022

However, Ciryl Gane is unlike any other fighter he has faced before. Gane is boasting an undefeated record of 10-0 and although he has significantly less experience in the UFC, he has spent a lot of time in the kickboxing scene.

He is easily the most technically sound fighter in the division and has yet to be challenged by any of his opponents. In this fight, he will most likely stay on the move to make Ngannou empty his gas tank since his KO power will be his main concern. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, as these two have seen each other before when they were sparring partners back in France.

Ciryl Gane looks to fight his opponent during an UFC match.

Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports

Gane clearly has more of a well-rounded attack, and he will hold an advantage as the fight moves on to the championship rounds. Ngannou does have the ultimate equalizer in the form of his other worldly power, but since Gane is unlike anything we have seen before in the heavyweight division, I think he will be the champ at the end of the night.

Regardless of the outcome this fight will surely have everyone’s eyes peeled to their TVs, and I can’t think of a better way to start off the year.

Joe Lakhman can be reached at joseph.lakhman@student.shu.edu.

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