UFC 270 | Main Card Preview
Saturday, January 22nd (10:00 PM EST Main Card, 8:00 PM EST Prelims, 6:00 PM EST Early Prelims)
Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane
WATCH - No matter how much we go on and on about how much better the lighter weight classes are because of their pace and technique, there is nothing else in the entire world of sports that will ever match the intensity of a heavyweight title fight. One single loaded punch at any moment can define an entire legacy. And even as far as heavyweight champs go, there has never been one as intensely ferocious as Francis Ngannou, who has the strongest punch in MMA by a lot. Just look at his DANA Record, it's incredible! But the #1 challenger Ciryl Gane is something entirely different that the division has never seen. A gigantic man that can move like the lighter weight classes and outclass the beasts. It's Francis "The Bull" Ngannou vs Ciryl "The Matador" Gane and blood will be shed this Saturday night!
Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
WATCH - Okay forget everything I just said about the Ngannou vs Gane fight because typically in the UFC fights seem to follow a golden rule for predicting how entertaining the action will be: the lighter the weight class, the better the fight. And it doesn't get higher stakes at a lighter weight class than the 125 belt! The champion Moreno vs #1 Figgy fight for the 3rd time. The first was an all-out war but in the second Figgy looked like he had a rough weight cut and Moreno completely dismantled him. And who doesn't love a trilogy where one of the fighters didn't win either of the first 2 fights. Shouldn't hurt Figgy's stock too much though, I'm sure the weight cut is only going to get easier for him as he's getting even older. Plus, I'm sure it's so much easier for the fighter who is 6 years older and past his prime to make the necessary adjustments to beat an opponent who previously destroyed him. So glad we're having this immediate rematch trilogy instead of finally moving the division along.
Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Jourdain
WATCH - Alright now is when you realize this is the most top heavy PPV card in a long time. It is a barren wasteland after the two title fights, to the point in which we're not even sure if the following 3 fights are even going to end up on the main card because the card is still changing daily with cancellations and last-minute replacements. Jourdain is one of those last-minute replacements, now scheduled to fight the absolute killer Ilia Topuria who smashed his last two opponents, both solid fighters (Ryan Hall and Damon Jackson), in the very first round. Being only 25 he has a bright career ahead of him and should get a ranked opponent next after likely repeating his success against the late notice Jourdain.
Michel Pereira vs. Andre Fialho
WATCH - Pereira has a very goofy style and often acts like he isn't taking the fight all too seriously while in the cage. It's fun to watch until it starts to slow down the meaningful action. Luckily, he has lately been learning to reel in the shenanigans which has allowed his striking prowess to show more in his fights and pick up some solid wins against guys like Khaos Williams and Niko Price. Usually, he'd be an obvious pick against a debuter, but Fialho is no ordinary debuter. He has fought in Bellator, PFL, and UAE Warriors, and has a dominant finish victory over former ranked UFC fighter James Vick. This has the makings for an all-out slugfest!
Cody Stamann vs. Said Nurmagomedov
WATCH - Stamann is a tough guy, who has bounced around the 10-20 range of the bantamweight division for a while, consistently beating unranked guys but just never quite doing enough to get the victory against ranked opponents. He's honestly kind of boring and has a pretty reactionary fighting style. But this fight isn't about him, it's about his opponent. I know what you are thinking but no, Nurmagomedov is not related to the more famous Nurmagomedovs. And he is not really like them at all outside of the last name and hailing from Dagestan. He's not undefeated, but he's also not playing it safe with crushing ground game. Instead, Said Nurmagomedov knocks his opponents out in the 1st round! Just look at his differentials, his incredible murder differential and awful td differential are basically blasphemy for the usual Dagestan fighter but Said doesn't seem to care. He is the violent Nurmagomedov from Hell and is looking to get one step closer to cracking the top 15 of the most competitive division in the UFC.
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