No UFC this Saturday, as the promotion returns next week.
However, it is hard to not already start to look ahead to UFC 270 on January 22.
The event takes place from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Two title fights are on the agenda.
And fingers crossed they stay that way.
In the main event, Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane square off to unify the heavyweight titles. Ngannou enters as the reigning champion, with Gane having secured the interim belt last year.
The co-main will see a rematch between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight belt. Moreno won the title over Figueiredo last year.
Remaining fights feature the likes of Greg Hardy, Said Nurmagomedov, Poliana Botelho and Matt Frevola as all of them look to start 2022 with a bang.
But the two featured bouts are what will draw in the eyes of the mixed martial arts world.
Ngannou hasn’t lost since a 2018 decision defeat to Derrick Lewis. He is a two-time champion, having won the belt back in March with a finish of Stipe Miocic.
Overall, Ngannou is 16-3 with 12 knockout wins and four submission victories to his credit. After the loss to Lewis, he finished Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Standing across the Octagon is the unbeaten Gane. In August, he finished Lewis to claim the interim belt, adding to his string of wins with the UFC.
Gane has topped the likes of Lewis, Alexander Volkov, Rozenstruik and dos Santos. He is also a former TKO heavyweight champion.
In late 2020, Moreno and Figueiredo battled to a majority draw, as Figueiredo left with the title still around his waist. A few months later, Moreno locked in a rear-naked choke in the third to become champion.
He has not lost since 2018, going 4-0-2 over that time.
Figueiredo had his six-fight unbeaten streak snapped with the loss.
