UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

Pure punching power meets elite skills in the Octagon when Francis Ngannou faces off against Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 270. 

Since suffering back-to-back losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis in 2018, Ngannou has been on a knockout spree. He's left five fighters in his wake, including a revenge win over Miocic to become the heavyweight champion. 

The five-fight win streak is as dominant as any in the heavyweight division. Only Miocic was able to survive the first round. 

Meanwhile, Gane has become the premier challenger in the division. For a brief period of time, Gane and Ngannou were training partners. The former's own unbeaten streak in the UFC now stands at seven, and a matchup with the champ became inevitable. 

It's got all the making of an instant classic and anchors the first pay-per-view of 2022. Here's a look at the complete offering and predictions for the biggest fights.   

Main Card (ESPN+ Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Francis Ngannou (+125, bet $100 to win $125) vs. Ciryl Gane (-145, bet $145 to win $100) – for heavyweight title
• Brandon Moreno (-180) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (+155) – for flyweight title
• Andre Fialho (+225) vs. Michel Pereira (-280)
• Said Nurmagomedov (-195) vs. Cody Stamann (+165)
• Trevin Giles (-105) vs. Michael Morales (-115)

Prelims (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Raoni Barcelos (-510) vs. Victor Henry (+375)
• Tony Gravely (-250) vs. Saimon Oliveira (+200)
• Jack Della Maddalena (-335) vs. Pete Rodriguez (+260)
• Matt Frevola (-200) vs. Genaro Valdez (+170)

Early Prelims (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

• Vanessa Demopoulos (-140) vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez (+120)
• Kay Hansen (-235) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (+190)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Ciryl Gane is one of the most captivating heavyweight fighters of all time. We are still working with a relatively small sample size, but there are few fighters in the division's history who can essentially strike with the speed and precision of a middleweight. 

We've seen that Gane has the ability to mitigate for a powerful striker. He utilized his movement and technique to get the better of Derrick Lewis. 

So it's not surprising that the Frenchman comes into this championship fight as the slight favorite. 

But that may be overlooking the skills of the champion. He has incredible power, but he isn't like some of the lumbering stone-fisted power punchers of the past. 

Ngannou has become more patient and more technical as his career has progressed. One just needs to compare his first fight with Miocic to his recent wins to see that. 

Gane can have success. His ability to stick and move while landing power shots of his own gives him a chance at wearing the belt. 

Ngannou usually finds a home for his hands at some point, though. It's hard to envision even Gane getting up when it happens. 

Prediction: Ngannou via second-round TKO

For whatever reason, we are getting treated to a third helping of the Brandon Moreno-Deiveson Figueiredo matchup. 

The two first fought at UFC 256, where Figueiredo defended his belt twice in back-to-back pay-per-views. After beating Alex Perez at UFC 255 in just under two minutes, he took on Moreno at UFC 256. 

The challenger gave him all he could handle in a five-round fight that ended in a draw after Figueiredo was deducted a point for a low blow in the third round. 

A rematch was booked. It made sense given the short turnaround for Figueiredo and Moreno's effort. Then Moreno was the clear winner in the second fight. He scored a third-round submission victory after building a lead on the scorecards in the early going. 

Because of injuries in the division and the UFC's penchant for rematches and trilogies, we are here again. Moreno has created a wider gulf between the two in each of their previous fights. 

This one should close the door on the rivalry. 

Prediction: Moreno via decision

The lead-in fight for the co-main doesn't necessarily carry a lot of name value. Michel Pereira will welcome Andre Fialho to the UFC. 

That doesn't mean this won't be a wildly entertaining affair, though. 

Pereira always brings flair to the proceedings. Whether it's a breakdance during his pre-fight introduction or some unorthodox striking, he has a way of making things interesting. 

He gets the debutant, who brings a four-fight win streak to the Octagon. All four of those wins have come by knockout, including a second-round finish of former UFC fighter James Vick. 

In that fight, Vick had some success in the first round because of his length. Pereira has shown he can pick apart power strikers from distance already with his win over Khaos Williams. 

Fialho is going to bring the fight, but Pereira has enough distance striking and grappling chops to neutralize him. Although the resulting pursuit should be fun to watch. 

Prediction: Pereira via decision

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