Francis Ngannou showcased his evolution as a fighter as he turned back the challenge of former teammate Ciryl Gane to retain his UFC heavyweight title.

The pair did battle in the main event of UFC 270, which took place in Anaheim, California, with Ngannou’s well-rounded MMA game proving decisive in his unanimous decision victory.

After a cagey first two rounds against Gane, Ngannou sprung something of a surprise by turning to his wrestling to swing the momentum firmly in his favor as he repeatedly scored takedowns on the Frenchman through Rounds 3 to 5.

However, Ngannou’s victory didn’t come without a scare, with Gane briefly threatening with a kneebar late in the fifth round. But the champion stayed composed to avoid any serious trouble and dominate the remainder of the round as the bout went all the way to the scorecards.

When the judges returned their verdict, the scorecards were all in favor of the champion, as Ngannou retained his title with scores of 48-47, 48-47, 49-46.

In the night’s co-main event, Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo battled all the way to the scorecards in their flyweight title trilogy fight.

Figueiredo showed none of the cardio and energy issues we saw from him in their second bout, where he was submitted by Moreno at UFC 263.

And, with the pair going back and forth in a thrilling five-round encounter, it was Figueiredo who ran out the winner, with all three judges scoring the fight the same, 48-47.

UFC 270: Official Results

Main Card

  • Francis Ngannou def. Ciryl Gane  via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) – for UFC heavyweight title
  • Deiveson Figueiredo  def. Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – for UFC flyweight title
  • Michel Pereira def. Andre Fialho via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Said Nurmagomedov def. Cody Stamann via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:47
  • Michel Morales def. Trevin Giles via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:06

Preliminary Card

  • Victor Henry def. Raoni Barcelos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Jack Della Maddalena def. Pete Rodriguez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:59
  • Tony Gravely def. Saimon Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Matt Frevola def. Genaro Valdez via TKO (punches), Round 1, 3:15

Early Prelims

  • Vanessa Demopoulos def. Silvana Gomez Juarez via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:25
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Kay Hansen via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)