UFC 270 Review
NGANNOU REMAINS CHAMPION
This past weekend at UFC 270, Francis NGannou did what not many thought he could do. He took over the fight after the 2nd round and defeated Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision. This was the first decision win of NGannou’s professional career.
The narrative heading into this fight was that NGannou would have his most success in rounds 1 and 2, while Gane would take over the fight if it went past the 2nd. The opposite ended up happening as Gane had his most success in the first two rounds and NGannou took control of the fight afterwards.
Prior to this, NGannou had never won a fight that went past the 2nd round. Only 2% of the Verdict Community predicted an NGannou win by decision.
As NGannou was about to enter the Octagon, the commentary team noticed he was wearing knee pads and could be injured. NGannou confirmed this after the fight, as 25 days before UFC 270, he blew out his MCL and damaged his ACL. This makes NGannou’s win even more impressive when you consider all the circumstances around the fight.
What we’re seeing with Francis NGannou is the continual evolution of a fighter. Think about his first fight against Stipe Miocic where he was completely drained after 5 minutes then think about what he did against Ciryl Gane in the Championship rounds this past weekend. Francis NGannou has now answered all the questions. He’s a complete fighter and is undoubtedly the best Heavyweight in the world.
MORENO AND Figueiredo COMPETE IN A RAZOR CLOSE FIGHT
This is the only time in UFC history where 2 fighters have fought each other for 3 consecutive fights. Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo have been training to fight each other and only each other for 14 months.
Every time they compete, it’s a special night. Their first fight, which ended in a majority draw, was a thriller and their 2nd fight was dominated by Moreno. After the way the 2nd fight ended, not many were giving Figueiredo a chance. 85% of the Verdict Community predicted Figueiredo to win the first fight and only 30% predicted him to win the 3rd fight. That’s a 55% drop in confidence. Figueiredo claimed he was going through weight cutting issues prior to their 2nd fight and attributed that to his loss. He came into fight week for their trilogy fight in tremendous shape and it showed in the fight. Moreno and Figueiredo competed in an incredibly close fight this past weekend. The commentary team referenced judging almost every round because of how close the fight was. Figueiredo earned a unanimous decision win to reclaim his Championship while Moreno narrowly won the fight on the Global Scorecard.
As you can see on the Global Scorecard, almost every round of the fight was close, especially the final round. This fight could have gone either way. Figueiredo and Moreno are now 1-1-1 against each other. Given how competitive this rivalry has been, we might just be seeing a 4th consecutive fight between these two.
FROM SHOWMAN TO FIGHTER
When you think back to Michel Pereira’s fight against Tristan Connelly in September of 2019, you think about a fighter that didn’t have the best cardio. Pereira exhausted himself after flipping around the Octagon in the 1st round and lost a unanimous decision against Connelly. This was the beginning of his resurgence. He stopped being a showman and he started being a fighter. We saw that on display this past weekend when Pereira earned a unanimous decision win against André Fialho. The fight started off rough for Pereira who lost the 1st round against Fialho. After dropping the 1st round, Pereira began to turn the tide as he dominated the 2nd round and kept pressing forward in the 3rd earning the victory. Pereira is now on a 4 fight winning streak which is his longest winning streak in 8+ years.
MICHAEL MORALES ARRIVES
Whenever you get a chance to make your UFC debut on a big PPV, you’ve got to make that count. That’s what 21-year-old Michael Morales did when he finished UFC veteran Trevin Giles by 1st round knockout. Morales is now undefeated at 13-0 with an 84% finishing rate. Heading into this fight, only 47% of the Verdict Community predicted Morales to defeat Giles. We attributed him being a slight n underdog to the fact that he was new to the Verdict Community. He’s a promising prospect and someone to look out for in 2021.
Nurmagomedov FINISHES STAMANN IN 47 SECONDS
Anytime a Nurmagomedov competes in the UFC, you’ve got to pay attention. Said Nurmagomedov made quick work of Cody Stamann by finishing him in 47 seconds. This is the 2nd consecutive fight that Nurmagomedov has finished a fight in under 1 minute. He’s a part of the new wave of Dagestani fighters that have great striking along with a solid wrestling base.
Victor Henry stuns the oddsmakers and the verdict community
Only 21% of the Verdict Community predicted Victor Henry to defeat Raoni Barcelos. The oddsmakers had Henry as the biggest underdog of the night at -490 (via DraftKings). Not many gave him a chance, but he still pushed forward and earned a unanimous decision win against Barcelos in a fight where his grit was on full display. His performance was so impressive that Joe Rogan posted about it on his Instagram page.
Thanks for reading our first review article! The next event on Verdict is UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland. If you haven’t already done so yet, download Verdict and join the community.
