There could not be a better way to start a year as UFC did with UFC 270. UFC’s first pay-per-view of the year was worth its hype with Deiveson Figueiredo recapturing the UFC Flyweight title and Francis Ngannou displaying a wrestling masterclass to retain his UFC World Heavyweight title.
Here are some of the highlights from an entertaining UFC 270.
▶ A Dream Debut for Michael Morales
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Michael Morales who is just 22 years old showed remarkable confidence on his UFC debut against Trevin Giles. In the fight, the Ecuadorian hurt Giles with a brilliant uppercut late in round 1 which put him in real trouble. Giles then swung back to back to push Morales off but the young fighter was aware of it and landed multiple punches that dropped Giles to the canvas before referee Marc Beltran called off the contest after 4:06 minutes of round 1.
▶ Nurmagomedov & Submissions – A dynamic duo
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It is never a wise decision to go to the ground against Nurmagomedov. In the past, we have seen former Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov capturing the division via submission. And now, it looks like Said Nurmagomedov is looking for the same glory but in the Bantamweight division. At UFC 270, Said faced Cody Stamann who went for a takedown in the first round which did not work in his favor as Said transitioned the takedown into a guillotine choke which left Stamann with no choice but to tap after just 47 seconds of round 1. With that victory, Nurmagomedov takes his UFC record to 4-1 and is someone to watch out for in the 135-pound division.
▶ A tactical Michel Pereira
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In the third fight of the night, Michel Pereira took home a decision victory against Andre Fialho to take his UFC record to 5-2-1NC. Pereira who is generally seen as a knockout fighter had a tactical approach to the fight. In the opening rounds, he remained calm and dodged Fialho’s shots. As the fight crossed the halfway mark, Periera unleashed his wide range of strikes which led the judges to score the fight 29-28 in all three cards favoring Periera.
▶ Figueiredo returns home with the Flyweight title
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In the co-main event of UFC 270, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno for the third time with Mexican fans showing up to support Moreno who was set to defend his title for the first time. But by the slimmest of margins, Deiveson Figueiredo spoiled the party of the traveling fans as he reclaimed the Flyweight title after the judges scored 48-47 on all three cards.
With the two fighters showing pure class inside the octagon, fans expect to see a fourth fight between the two.
▶ Francis Ngannou – The Wrestler
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Against all the odds, Francis Ngannou who is known for his power punches reminded everyone that he is not just a boxer. The fighter showed off a well-rounded game as he went to his wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to take a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 270. The judges scored the card 48-47, 48-48, and 49-46 in favor of The Predator who unified the UFC Heavyweight title.
After the fight, Ngannou said to the press that he tore his right MCL and damaged his ACL ahead of UFC 270 but could not see him withdrawing because he wanted to remind the people that he’s the champ!
[Featured Image Credit: UFC]
Shashank Iyer