Preview: UFC 270 ‘Ngannou vs. Gane’

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 270 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

UFC Flyweight Championship

C | Brandon Moreno (19-5-2, 7-2-2 UFC) vs. #1 FLW | Deiveson Figueiredo (20-2-1, 9-2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Moreno (-180), Figueiredo (+155)

Moreno’s title win on June 12 was one of the better moments of 2021, as “The Assassin Baby” completed a wild journey up the ranks to become the UFC’s first Mexican-born champion. Moreno came to the UFC via “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2016, when he impressed as the low seed in a game effort against Alexandre Pantoja. That could have been where Moreno’s UFC story ended, but an injury to Sergio Pettis opened a spot for him to make his UFC debut before the season even finished airing. Moreno made good on the opportunity, scoring an upset submission win over surging contender Louis Smolka, and from there, he was officially a prospect to watch. Moreno looked like a raw but talented fighter in his next two bouts, but with his winning both, the UFC made the call to have him headline a card in Mexico City opposite Pettis in August 2017. It was a rare flyweight main event with no immediate title implications. Pettis won that match in dominant fashion, exposing all of the holes in Moreno’s game; and after a subsequent loss to Pantoja, Moreno was stunningly released from the UFC. The promotion was in the process of dismantling its flyweight division, and fighters who lost were quickly shown the door. Moreno was back in the Octagon less than a year and a half later once the division—and the UFC’s efforts to break into Mexico—found new life, and from there, it was off to the races. After a draw against Askar Askarov upon his return, Moreno put together a winning streak that placed him as Figueiredo’s top challenger. The first fight between the two came under unique circumstances. Both men had won their fights in quick fashion just a few weeks prior, and the UFC scrambled to put together a main event for its December 2020 pay-per-view, landing on the two making a record turnaround. The result was an excellent five-round affair, but consensus was that Figueiredo was the better fighter, with the result ending in a draw due to a point deduction due to a groin strike from the Brazilian. That made the rematch both necessary and seemingly a foregone conclusion, which made the result all the more stunning when Moreno put on a dominant performance, making Figueiredo look gun-shy on his way to a third-round submission win. The definitive nature of the victory made it seem like the two rivals would move on, but with other top contenders like Pantoja and Askarov unavailable as Moreno’s next challenger, the UFC made the call to run it back a third time.

Figueiredo’s title loss marked a shocking stop to the Brazilian’s momentum, as he was coming off of a 2020 campaign that saw him wind up as the consensus “Fighter of the Year.” His style has always been a unique proposition for his division. While most of the flyweight class centers on speed and activity, “Deus da Guerra” does his work through horsepower and precision in individual bursts of offense. A flat performance against Jussier Formiga to kick off 2019 was the lone time in which Figueiredo ever looked out of his depth, and by the end of the year, he had already re-affirmed himself as a top contender. He won a three-round war over Pantoja that suggested for the first time that he could fight at a pace, then quickly scored a submission over Tim Elliott. That gave way to his breakout 2020 run, which saw him essentially win the vacant flyweight championship twice over Joseph Benavidez. Figueiredo scored a second-round knockout but missed weight in their first fight, then came back, made weight and absolutely ran over Benavidez again for a brutal first-round finish. Figueiredo’s first title defense against Alex Perez was over via submission in just under two minutes, which allowed him to then fight Moreno with both on the heels of a three-week turnaround. Moreno kept that first fight close, but again, Figueiredo seemed like the much better fighter overall, managing his gas tank enough to keep pace over 25 minutes while hitting the much more powerful shots. While Figueiredo seemingly had the upper hand heading into their rematch, his performance had all the markings of someone who did not think so, as he was overly patient and allowed Moreno to take the initiative, getting the ball rolling towards what eventually became a one-sided performance and finish. Given Figueiredo’s past troubles with the scale, the thought was that this could serve as a clear break for him to chase some new challenges at bantamweight, but instead, we get a trilogy fight that mostly hinges on which version of the Brazilian shows up.

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 270 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Perhaps Figueiredo returns to form in this one. If he does, this could easily recapture the magic of their first bout, which, for all the controversy surrounding the judging, still wound up as one of the best title fights in recent memory. At his best, Figueiredo is the most potent flyweight the division has ever seen on the feet and the ground. With the ability he showed to manage his gas tank in that first fight, Figueiredo looked near unstoppable. That makes for an excellent dynamic against Moreno, who is seemingly the one man with the combination of skill, confidence and durability to keep standing up to Figueiredo and the potential to win a war of attrition. In that rematch, all of the mental momentum went Moreno’s way, as the then-challenger looked like a man who was sure he could survive his toughest test yet and come out the victor; and he seemingly convinced Figueiredo in the process. This all comes down to how Figueiredo regroups. If he is back to his old self, this is another “Fight of the Year” contender against a version of Moreno that figures to be better than the last. If not, this is one-way traffic for the Mexican once again. Either way, Moreno is the much more trustworthy fighter at this point, especially with the level of durability he has shown to date. The pick is Moreno via fourth-round submission.

Continue Reading » Pereira vs. Fialho