UFC 270 Fight Card this weekend : Find out everything you need to know about every fight on Saturday’s main programme.
On Saturday, UFC 270 takes place at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, kicking off the UFC pay-per-view calendar. In the main event, interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane takes on heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a unification contest.
While the mammoth heavyweight encounter is the main event, flyweight champion Brandon Moreno defends his belt against previous champ Deiveson Figueiredo in a trilogy bout. In their first meeting, Moreno and Figueiredo fought to a draw before Moreno claimed the championship in their rematch.
It’s easy to get caught up in the details of a large occasion. So we’re here to give you a quick rundown of what to expect and what to look out for in each major card battle. Let’s look at what to expect on Saturday in more detail.
UFC 259 Main Card
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Cody Stamann, Bantamweight
- Odds: Nurmagomedov -190, Stamann +160 | Last three results: Nurmagomedov – W,L,W | Stamann – L,L,W
- Nurmagomedov: Looking to establish a winning streak two fights after suffering his first UFC loss
- Stamann: On a 2-3-1 skid after starting his UFC career with three consecutive victories
In the UFC, Stamann (19-4-1) has had an unusual run. He won three straight fights to begin his Octagon career, two of which were by split decision. Stamann was submitted with a rare Suloev stretch submission against eventual bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling.
Stamann has gone 2-3-1 since then, with back-to-back losses in his most recent fights, leaving him in desperate need of a win at UFC 270. Nurmagomedov (14-2) is 3-1 in the UFC, with his last loss coming two fights ago.
Wellington Turman vs. Rodolfo Vieira, Middleweight
- Odds: Vieira -240, Turman +200 | Last three results: Vieira – W,L,W | Turman – W,L,L
- Vieira: A high-level finisher who has never seen the scorecards
- Turman: Looking for his first back-to-back wins in the UFC
Vieira (8-1) is a unique fighter in that he has never lost a fight by decision. He’s won seven fights by submission and one by knockout. Vieira’s lone defeat came at UFC 258 when he was submitted by Anthony Hernandez. Vieira has walked to the Octagon four times in his career, with the Hernandez loss being the only occasion he did not raise his hand.
Turman (17-5) hasn’t had quite the same degree of success as Vieira, losing three of his five UFC fights. Turman won a split decision over veteran Sam Alvey in his most recent fight, stopping a two-fight losing streak and maybe preserving himself from being released from the company.
Michel Pereira vs. Andre Fialho, Welterweight
- Odds: Pereira -280, Fialho +230 | Last three results: Pereira – W,W,W | Fialho – W,W,W
- Pereira: One of the sport’s flashiest and most creative strikers
- Fialho: A Bellator and PFL veteran making his UFC debut
Pereira (26-11) is unlike any other UFC fighter in that he is willing to throw any strike, including backflips. In the past, his reckless style has come back to hurt him, like as when he ran out of gas against unheralded late replacement Tristan Connelly and lost a unanimous decision. A disqualification loss against Diego Sanchez followed the loss to Connelly.
Pereira has gone back on track with a three-fight winning streak since those two losses, though his cardio has remained an issue. Fialho (14-3) has battled on big stages before, with seven fights in Bellator and PFL combined. Fialho, like Pereira, is a striker who has 11 knockouts in his 14 victories. Fialho won the biggest opportunity of his career, a bout on the main card of a UFC pay-per-view, after a four-fight winning streak on the regional market.
Brandon Moreno (c) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo, Flyweight title
- Odds: Moreno -175, Figueiredo +150 | Last three results: Moreno – W,D,W | Figueiredo – L,D,W
- Moreno: The first Mexican-born champion in UFC history looking to make his first title defense
- Figueiredo: The former dominant champion looking to regain his crown
Moreno (19-5-2) put on a show of his life in June 2021, dominating Figueiredo (20-2-1) to win the UFC flyweight championship. The bout was a rematch of their December 2020 encounter, which was a dramatic contest that ended in a draw, thanks in part to Figueiredo being docked a point for low blows. Moreno dominated on the feet in the rematch before securing the first Mexican-born UFC champion with a third-round rear-naked choke.
Prior to running into Moreno, it appeared that Figueiredo was on his way to becoming a long-term dominant champion, having destroyed Joseph Benavidez twice, the second of which earned him the championship, and dispatching Alex Perez in a flash. He’ll now want to show that Moreno’s dominance in the rematch was just a one-night stand.
Francis Ngannou (c) vs. Ciryl Gane (ic), Heavyweight title
- Odds: Gane -155, Ngannou +130 | Last three results: Ngannou – W,W,W | Gane – W,W,W
- Ngannou: Possibly the biggest knockout striker in heavyweight history and the defending champion
- Gane: The undefeated interim champion with a striking style that’s yet to be cracked
While all of the focus in the build-up to UFC 270 has been on Ngannou’s contractual status with the organisation, the bout between Ngannou (16-3) and Gane (10-0) is as exciting as any in the division. Ngannou is one of the best finishers in the world, having won all 16 of his fights by knockout, with 12 of them coming in the first round.
While he lost back-to-back fights in 2018, dropping a title fight to Stipe Miocic and a rather lukewarm bout against fellow knockout artist Derrick Lewis, he has since won five consecutive fights, including a stunning knockout of Miocic to win the title.
Gane, on the other hand, has never lost in his professional mixed martial arts career, having won the TKO heavyweight title in his first professional fight. Gane’s timing and footwork have been a concern for any fighter with whom he has shared the Octagon in the UFC. In August, Gane overcame Lewis to win the interim title with a third-round TKO. In a battle of raw power and polished technique, he now enters the biggest fight of his career.
