The UFC is set to deliver its first two title fights of the new year and both have an equal amount of intrigue and drama. It all boils down from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday night as heavyweights and flyweights tip the marquee. In the main event, heavyweight king Francis Ngannou looks to defend his crown against interim champion Ciryl Gane in a battle of former sparring partners turned rivals. Additionally, 125-pound champion Brandon Moreno looks to wrap up his trilogy with Deiveson Figueredo with a successful title defense.
Champion Ngannou enters this first title defense on shaky ground under the guidance of the UFC. The Cameroon native hopes to secure a more lucrative contract, while chairman Dana White seems determined to keep his salary as it is. The destructive knockout artist has done just about everything imaginable inside the octagon to this point with 11 stoppages in 13 career appearances. Meanwhile, Gane is a perfect 10-0 in his professional career with about equal win rates across the board. He will come in as the slight betting favorite and oddsmakers are hoping his skillful defensive style will dampen Ngannou’s fast charging attack.
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In the other title tilt, Moreno moved up the ranks at 125 pounds after being cut by the promotion in 2018. He returned in 2019 after scoring a TKO win for the LFA title and has posted a 4-0 record. -2 in the UFC since then, including fighting Figueiredo to a draw in December 2019 with just three weeks notice. He then submitted Figueiredo in their rematch last June to win the championship. A victory for Figueiredo could set up an unprecedented fourth meeting between the two combatants.
With the omicron variant of COVID-19 still raging, the card has seen many changes in the weeks leading up to it. Below is the current undercard with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Be sure to check for the latest updates and tweaks.
UFC 270 fight card, odds
- Cyryl Gane -155vs. Francis Ngannou (c) +130, heavyweight championship
- Brandon Moreno -175 vs. Deiveson Figueiredo +150, flyweight championship
- Michel Pereira -280 vs Andre Fialho +230, welterweight
- Said Nurmagomedov -190 vs. Cody Stamann +160, Bantamweight
- Michael Morales -125 vs. Trevin Giles +105, Welterweight
- Raoni Barcelos -490vs. Victory Henry +370, bantamweight
- Jack Della -340 vs. Pete Rodriguez +270, welterweight
- Tony Gravely -240 vs. Saimon Oliveira +200, bantamweight
- Kay Hansen -240 vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius +200, women’s flyweight
- Matt Frevola -190 vs. Genaro Valdez +160, lightweight
- Vanessa Demopoulos -140 vs. Silvana Gómez Juárez +120, female strawweight
UFC 270 Information
- Date: January 22
- Location: Anaheim, California — Honda Center
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+PPV
UFC 270 Countdown
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www.cbssports.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism