Mixed martial arts fans from around the world will flock to the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and tune into broadcasts on January 22 when the eagerly anticipated clash between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane headlines UFC 270. The UFC Heavyweight Championship unification bout serves as the headliner of what should be an epic card. Ngannou, known as The Predator in UFC circles, hails from Cameroon but resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 35-year-old man mountain stands at 6ft 4in tall and tips the scales at some 263lbs. Ngannou has ferocious power and is the hardest recorded puncher in the world. The reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion has a 16-3 professional fight record, with 12 of those victories coming by way of knockout. Ngannou won his first six UFC bouts, which earned him a shot at the title held by Stipe Miocic at the time. The pair fought at UFC 220 in January 2018, with Miocic retaining his title with a unanimous decision. Ngannou lost his next fight, too. Derrick Lewis defeated the Cameroonian giant, again, by unanimous decision. Ngannou got back to winning ways only four months later when he beat Curtis Blaydes via TKO after only 45-seconds. Three more victories followed before Ngannou stood toe-to-toe with Miocic in a rematch for the title. Ngannou knocked Miocic out in the second round to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. That was in late March 2021, and Ngannou has not fought since, leading to people accusing him of ducking fights. He has no choice but to take on Gane on January 22. Frenchman Gane is a relative newcomer to the MMA scene, making his debut at TKO Fight Night in August 2018. That victory earned him the vacant TKO Heavyweight title, which he defended twice before signing a contract with the UFC.
He made his UFC debut in August 2019 and has since fought seven times in the famous octagon, winning all seven. Gane’s last victory happened at UFC 265 in August 2021. He took on Derrick Lewis for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship, defeating him in the third round by TKO. Gane’s skills earned him the Performance of the Night gong and a shot at Ngannou. This pair of Goliaths know each other’s style, having trained together in Paris, France, for many years. Neither fighter is overly skilled when it comes to their groundwork, so this could turn out to be a good, old-fashioned slugging match. If that is the case, Ngannou has to be the favorite to defend his title successfully. A Clash Of Styles Makes For an Interesting Fight Ngannou has won 14 of his last 16 fights, including four in a row. Ten of his last 11 wins have been knockouts, and his last eight wins have all ended in the first round. Ngannou’s unrivaled power is a massive factor here, especially when 79% of his significant strikes hit an opponent’s head. He only needs to catch Gane with a powerhouse strike, and Gane will likely succumb to his first professional defeat. However, Gane is a clever, tactical fighter with a kickboxing background. The Frenchman mixes up his targets with 44% of his significant strikes being to the head, 26% to the body, and 30% to the legs. Ngannou’s targets are 79% head, 11% body, and only 10% legs. Furthermore, Gane lands 5.37 significant strikes per minute compared to only 2.54 for Ngannou, which is more than double. Gane can grind down Ngannou and frustrate him. He has the speed to avoid Ngannou’s deadly power and counter him. It should be a great fight with conflicting styles. Anyone with Ngannou’s power always has a chance of winning because knockouts only take one punch. Yet if Gane can keep Ngannou at arm’s length, he could take this fight to the judges and win on points. Gane’s average fight time is 15:06 compared to Ngannou’s 5:38. Does Ngannou have the stamina to go all the way against a fighter who lands more than five strikes per minute? That remains to be seen.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |