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John McCarthy believes Francis Ngannou may have lost to Ciryl Gane if their UFC 270 championship bout had remained on the feet.
Ngannou managed to overcome Gane in the main event of UFC 270 and retain the heavyweight title. The majority of fans would've expected him to do so via knockout. However, 'The Predator' was able to lean on his new wrestling skills to overwhelm 'Bon Gamin' and edge him out on the judges' scorecards.
McCarthy is one of many pundits who believes the champion would've been staring down the barrel of a defeat if he hadn't been able to take the challenger down. The former MMA referee, during an episode of the Weighing In podcast, said:
“It showed the evolution of Francis Ngannou and this is the whole point - this is MMA. You can’t be that one trick pony because if Francis Ngannou had stayed with trying to be on his feet the entire fight, he would’ve lost that fight. It was the grappling portion that ended up winning the fight, winning the championship, putting a mark on Ciryl Gane’s record. It was the grappling and you’ve got to give the man credit.”
Watch the full podcast below:
When the fight was on the feet, especially in the first two rounds, Ngannou wasn't really able to land any powerful shots. Gane was doing what he always does so well - staying on the outside and picking his moments with great precision.
The tide turned in the final three rounds as Ngannou enjoyed over five minutes of ground control time, in addition to landing four takedowns.
When will Francis Ngannou fight again?
As a result of Francis Ngannou injuring his knee (grade 3 MCL tear alongside damage to the ACL and MPFL), nobody really knows when we're going to see him inside the octagon again. Even then, it may not be a case of him competing in mixed martial arts, as he's continually hinted at a transition over to professional boxing.
If he stays out for longer than six months or is given a diagnosis that suggests he's going to be away for up to a year, the UFC may opt to either strip him of the belt or put another interim belt up for grabs.
There are definitely options out there but as of this writing, the heavyweight division is as convoluted as it's ever been.
