2022 is upon us and instead of saving what could be the biggest Heavyweight fight in UFC history for the end of last year, we are gifted a beginning of the year mega-fight between undefeated Interim Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane and the UFC's current Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou. Finally this weekend will settle the score for who can claim they are the true Heavyweight Champion. This weekend also includes the UFC's Flyweight Championship on the line as Brandon Moreno looks to put a nail in the coffin between himself and Deiveson Figueiredo as he defends his belt for the first time. These men shared an unforgettable fight in their first matchup back in December of 2020 where the fight ended in a majority draw that lead to an inevitable rematch which Moreno won convincingly. Brandon was able to end Figueiredo's reign in the Flyweight division bringing his five fight winning streak to an end. Now after putting on such a dominant performance in their last fight can Brandon make Figueiredo's Championship hopes a thing of the past?
When I say this could be the biggest fight in the UFC's Heavyweight division I mean that both global buzz wise, and in sheer physical size. When Francis Ngannou first stepped into the MMA scene back in 2013 he fought on any card that he could. He participated in random MMA events in France and also Bahrain (located in the Middle East), and after putting on an impressive start to his career displaying well-rounded abilities he stepped directly into the UFC. His massive size and incredible power was undeniable. When Dana White seen this raw talent he did not hesitate to sign him, and boy has it paid off. Francis went from being homeless to a household name in less than two years. His talent is once in a generation type stuff and he has put this on display during his rise through some of the UFC's elite Heavyweights.
For Ciryl Gane he also started his career overseas but he began his mixed martial arts journey in Muay-Thai competitions. During his four year career Gane racked up an impressive 13-0 record and out of those thirteen wins nine came by finish. What really stood out about Ciryl was his huge frame, but also his unheard of athleticism for being as big as he was. Gane is extremely light on his feet and has some of the best footwork I have ever seen. In June of 2018 Ciryl fought in his last Muay-Thai competition and made the decision to transition into MMA. This transition did not take long at all, after only competing in three MMA fights and also having such a veteran background in Muay-Thai Dana White signed Ciryl to the UFC in less than a year after entering the MMA world. Once again this choice paid off for Dana. In only four months Ciryl won his first three fights in the UFC and put the rest of the Heavyweight division on notice.
With two absolute forces colliding this weekend, who does Vegas think has the edge?
Moneyline: Francis Ngannou (+130)/Ciryl Gane (-150) Total Rounds: Over/Under 2.5 -110
God damn I am excited for this one, but with that excitement also comes confusion. We all know that no one on this planet can get into a firefight with Francis and come out conscious, but we also have seen that no one has had any type of success on their feet with Ciryl, so what gives? To say that I am confident in picking either one of these fighters would be a lie. I see this fight going one of two ways. The first being Francis is able to withstand Gane's range and eventually hurt him, and the second being Gane keeping his distance for a full five rounds and picking Francis apart. To me the winner of this fight will be determined by how long the fight goes on for. I don't see Gane having the ability to finish Francis, and in order for Gane to land a killshot he will have to get within the danger zone and I don't see him making that mistake. So for me if the fight goes the distance Gane will win by decision and will out-class him on the feet. So when approaching this fight from a betting perspective I will actually be taking Francis Ngannou +130 and then also will take Gane by Decision at +280 for insurance. With two tickets on both fighters being plus money this is the only safe way of approaching this fight. To be completely honest this fight is a most likely a pass for me, I will just sit back and watch the war unfold.
And now for the Co-Main event we have two fighters who know each other very well. With Brandon dominating their last fight does Vegas see the same thing happening this time around?
Moneyline: Deiveson Figueiredo (+160)/Brandon Moreno (-180) Total Rounds: Over/Under 3.5 -110 Back in December of 2020 the mixed martial arts world was blessed with the first fight between Figueiredo and Moreno. This was an absolute war in which Deiveson won the first three rounds of that fight pretty convincingly and then the momentum turned after referee Jason Herzog deducted a point from Deiveson for an illegal groin strike. From the point on the tide turned to Brandon's favor. I believe he won the fourth and the fifth round of their first fight which after the point deduction would've left the scorecards even. Inevitably these men were matched up again last year in June to settle their score and everyone knows what happened then. Brandon was able to dominant the former champion from the opening bell to the end of the fight. He outstroke Figueiredo and basically outclassed him in every aspect of the fight, eventually leading him to a submission win over the former undisputed champion. Now more than six months later, they will fight again.
A lot of people were angry that these two are fighting again but I don't understand where the frustration comes from. To me this is still a best out of three. Sure technically the first fight ended in a draw, but in reality Figueiredo won that fight, and lost the second...so now we truly settle the score. From a betting perspective this fight seems very strange to me. Brandon has beaten Deiveson up pretty handedly over the last 5 rounds he's shared with him yet he's still only -180 going into this third fight. Also looking back at their second fight Deiveson was not himself. He looked like a shell of himself physically after what looked to be a ruthless weight cut and throughout the duration of the fight he looked off. Now after suffering a loss and having his belt taken from him he is coming into this fight hungrier than ever. He looks absolutely shredded and has changed training camps in order to bring out the best in himself. For this fight surprisingly I am going to side with the former Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo at +160. I also believe we are in for a similar fight to the first in which these two go back and forth for awhile, so if I had to choose I would go Over 3.5 for the total rounds (Personally I will only be touching the moneyline).
TOP BETS FOR THIS CARD:
PARLAY OPPURTUNITY:
Ilia Topuria (-440) + Michel Pereria (-250)
Odds Combined: -150
Michael Morales / Trevin Giles
Trevin Giles +110
Deiveson Figueiredo / Brandon Moreno
Deiveson Figueiredo +160
Jack Della Maddalena / Pete Rodriguez
Under 2.5 -110
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