The UFC will be coming to Mickey’s backyard this weekend as UFC 270 will emanate from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Some of the best fighters in the world will be on the card, which will be headlined by two epic title fights.
The heavyweight showdown everyone has been waiting for is finally here as the champ will face off with the interim champ to decide who is the undisputed baddest man on the planet. Plus, the third meeting in an epic trilogy will decide who the true flyweight champion is and two more hard-hitting heavyweights will look to crack the rankings.
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Welterweight bout: Michel Pereira Lima vs. Andre Fialho
A welterweight contender welcomes a UFC newcomer in our first matchup. Lima, the 15th-ranked welterweight will be welcoming an exciting new contender to the UFC when he steps into the octagon to take on Fialho. The 28-year-old contender will be looking to earn his fourth straight win. Sporting a 26-11 record, Lima is a finisher with 10 knockouts and seven submissions on his record. He’s also only been knocked out and submitted once each, so he’s a tough out for anyone.
As for Fialho, this will be the biggest fight of his young career. The 27-year-old boasts a 14-3 record and has won his last four, including a knockout of former UFC contender James Vick. And that’s just one of his 11 career knockout victories, proving that he has been a devastating striker in the past. Now we just have to see if he can carry that over into the UFC. It will be interesting to see if Lima will look to take this fight to the floor or if he will be content to stand and bang with the newcomer.
My pick: Fialho via decision
Flyweight Championship bout: Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
There have been few trilogies in the history of the UFC as exciting as Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo. Moreno has really proven to be one of the best in the world in these past two fights against his new rival, capturing the flyweight title in their last meeting. Now, they’ll meet for the third time in a row and the champ will have to continue to get batter if he wants to prove he’s the best in the class. With a 19-5 record, Moreno has shown that he is very talented in all aspects of the sport and he’s going to need to use all of his skills once again.
For a while, it looked like no one would beat Figueiredo for a long time. The dominant champ was riding a five-fight winning streak and four straight finishes before running into Moreno. After fighting to a draw in their first meeting and being upset in their second, Figueiredo is going to want to take back his crown. With a 20-2 record with nine knockouts and eight submissions, Figueiredo is as well-rounded as they get and that’s exactly why these first two fights were so exciting. Get ready for another instant classic in this co-main event.
My pick: Moreno via decision
Heavyweight Championship bout: Francis Nngannou vs. Cyril Gane
Every now and then, the UFC gives us a main event that just feels special. Whether it’s one of the best of all-time facing an up-and-coming challenger, two of the best in two different divisions finally meeting or, in this case, two champions fighting for the right to call their belt the real one, these main events just hit different.
And speaking of hitting, Francis Ngannou is the hardest puncher in the history of the UFC. That’s not hyperbole. It’s real. They measured. The heavyweight champ has a 16-3 record and 12 knockout wins. In fact, former champion Stipe Miocic should consider it an accomplishment simply to make it out of the first round against Ngannou, before getting knocked out less than a minute into the second. His only struggles in the UFC came in back-to-back fights where he seemed hesitant to trust his power and ended up stalling his way to decision losses. That doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore though, as he has knocked out his last five opponents. The gameplan is no secret for the champ: punch his opponent in the head as hard as possible.
With all of that being said, if you went into a lab and designed a fighter for the sole purpose of defeating Francis Ngannou, that fighter would look like Cyril Gane. The undefeated 31-year-old has achieved his 10-0 record with a variety of skills, including both grappling and striking. His ability to gameplan for his opponent and exploit their weaknesses has been second-to-none and it has led to him becoming the interim heavyweight champ. Still, while he has fought some hard-hitters before, he’s never met anyone with the power of Ngannou. All it takes is one shot and Gane’s night will be over. Luckily for Gane, he is very, very good and not letting that one shot land. If he can get this fight to the ground, it could be a long night for Ngannou.
My pick: Ngannou via 2nd round knockout
UFC 270 will be held Saturday night, January 22 at 10 PM ET. Fight fans can order the pay per view through ESPN+ and receive a special offer: $89.98 for UFC 270 and an ESPN+ annual plan. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $69.99.