Main Card

Michael Morales (13-0) vs. Trevin Giles (14-4):

Morales appears to have the potential to be a long-term issue for the Welterweight division. The Ecuadorian prodigy is only 22 years old, but in his UFC debut, he displayed tremendous poise and confidence. Morales didn’t waste any time when the opportunity to end the bout arose. At 4:06, referee Marc Beltran declared the fight over. As he came forward, Morales hit Giles with a counter uppercut. Giles swung back defensively, dazed, to try to push Morales away. Morales deflected the blows and, with a follow-up shot, knocked Giles out again. The fight was over when Giles turtled at that point. Morales, who is now based in Tijuana, has completed 11 of his 13 professional victories. Giles was not an easy opponent for a UFC debut, as he had eight fights under his belt.

Cody Stamann (19-5-1) vs. Said Nurmagomedov (15-2):

Going to the ground with a fighter with the name Nurmagomedov is probably not a good idea. Stamann attempted and succeeded in putting Nurmagomedov down early with a body lock. Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, switched to a guillotine choke, forcing Stamann to tap at 47 seconds of the opening round. It was Nurmagomedov’s biggest victory to date, and the third-fastest submission in UFC bantamweight history. “I’m preparing for all three rounds,” Nurmagomedov added, “but this was my favorite choke.” Nurmagomedov, 29, has won two straight fights and four of his last five in the UFC. In the 135-pound division, he appears to be someone to keep an eye on. For this training camp, the Dagestan native, who is unrelated to the great Khabib, reconnected with coach Mark Henry. Stamann, a 32-year-old Michigan native based in Las Vegas, has lost his last three fights.

Michel Pereira (27-11) vs. Andre Fialho (14-4):

Pereira is no longer the wild man he was in his early UFC bouts. Pereira has improved his discipline, but as Saturday’s bout against Fialho progressed, he progressively released his complete arsenal of innovative strikes, propelling him to his fourth straight victory. Pereira began the battle cautiously, as he was walked down for much of the opening round, taking the brunt of most of the exchanges. However, Pereira let go with multiple front kicks to the body early in Round 2, and once he had slowed Fialho’s progress, he went to his trademark spinning punches and flying knees. It turned the battle around for him, as he dominated the second round and edged out a close third. Pereira, a 28-year-old Brazilian who had a 107-45 advantage in major strikes, won the bout 29-28 on all three judges’ scores. Pereira landed 44 body shots compared to Fialho’s five. Fialho, a 27-year-old Portuguese fighter, fights out of Deerfield Beach, Florida. In his UFC debut, he saw his four-fight winning streak come to a stop.

Brandon Moreno (19-6-2) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (21-2-1):

On Saturday, Mexican fans flocked to see Brandon Moreno, the UFC’s first Mexican-born champion, defend his championship for the first time. Deiveson Figueiredo, on the other hand, wrecked the celebration by the tiniest of margins. Figueiredo won a unanimous decision against Moreno to recapture the 125-pound title he had lost in August. The flyweight title fight, which co-headlined UFC 270 at the Honda Center, was scored 48-47 in favor of Figueiredo by all three judges. With Saturday’s result, the rivalry now has a 1-1-1 record. In December 2020, the two battled to a draw before Moreno beat Figueiredo in their rematch. Figueiredo, on the other hand, appeared to be a completely different fighter in the trilogy after losing by submission in the rematch. Figueiredo declared, “Today is my day.” “For this moment, for Brandon, for everyone who was here, for us to offer you the gift of a night fight. For the past four months, I’ve been separated from my family. In Mexico, I’m ready for a fourth battle with Brandon.” Moreno outlanded Figueiredo 106-95 in total strikes, according to UFC Stats. However, Figueiredo delivered many devastating punches, including a big right hand at the close of the third round that knocked Moreno down and severely injured him. “I think I threw the better combinations with more speed, and maybe he connected with a little more power,” Moreno said. “Obviously, I felt I had won, but things are as they are now. I believe I was keeping the fight moving at a faster pace. I’m not sure. I need to go back and watch the bout to see what happened.” Both men were at their best in the trilogy bout. All night, Moreno’s boxing and footwork were on display. He was difficult to track down in wrestling scrambles and had excellent success with his left hook at the end of exchanges. Figueiredo retaliated with hard right hands and heavy low leg kicks that threw Moreno off balance. After winning the belt, Moreno’s popularity skyrocketed. The crowd on Saturday was overwhelmingly in his favor, and it helped the UFC establish a new gate record at the Honda Center. Moreno had not lost since May of 2018.

Francis Ngannou (17-3) vs. Ciryl Gane (10-1):

Francis Ngannou is one of the most feared power punchers in MMA history. But, on Saturday night, he reminded everyone that he is more than that. Ngannou displayed a well-rounded game — as well as an incredible amount of emotion — befitting the champion he is. Despite being down on the cards early and struggling with a knee injury, the hardest-hitting man in MMA turned to his wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu to defeat Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 270 by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) in the main event. Ngannou unifies the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight title with the win. As the temporary champion, Gane was brought in. In his postfight interview, Ngannou noted, “My ground game is growing.” Following the fight, Ngannou revealed that he tore his right MCL and damaged his ACL but refused to step down because he wanted to “remind everyone I’m the champ.” Ngannou revealed in a postfight press conference that he met a doctor on Tuesday and was told not to fight because he could sustain lifelong injury if he was kicked there. Despite his unsteadiness on his feet, Ngannou determined to compete. “It’s been an incredible journey,” Ngannou added, noting that surgery is likely.  “It’s been a very tough training camp. A very tough 10 months. A lot of s—.” In the opening few rounds on Saturday, Gane used his exceptional movement and speed to keep Ngannou at bay. Gane used spinning back kicks to the body and head, as well as kicks to the legs. He didn’t do much harm, but he was quite good at avoiding Ngannou’s might and scoring points. Ngannou, of all people, turned things around in the third round with a thunderous slam. In the round, Gane unleashed a fantastic spinning back elbow. However, near the end of the five minutes, Ngannou scored another takedown. In the fourth round, Ngannou also landed takedowns and was able to keep the fast-footed Gane grounded. Gane secured a takedown in the fifth, and Ngannou used his grappling skills to sweep back into top position from the bottom. Gane attempted a leg lock, but it was unsuccessful. Ngannou was victorious at the end of the battle. Prior to Saturday, Ngannou had gone 0-for-3 on takedown attempts in his 13-fight UFC career. According to UFC Stats, he landed 4-of-5 attempts at UFC 270. Ngannou mentioned that he trains at Xtreme Couture, the MMA and wrestling legend Randy Couture’s club. There is a requirement to work on the ground game.

Prelims