The Champ Is Here!

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will have reigning welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman cornering him when “The Predator” makes his Octagon return against interim titleholder Ciryl Gane in the UFC 270 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner this Sat. night (Jan. 22, 2022) inside Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and “The Nigerian Nightmare” was on the scene for Episode 5 of the UFC 270 “Embedded” video blog.

To watch Episodes 1-4 of UFC 270 “Embedded” click here, here and here, and here.

“I’m seeing a stone-cold killer,” Usman told MMA Junkie on Friday. “This is how Francis is every fight. It’s something very, very rare when you have a guy this big. Whenever Francis Ngannou walks into a room, everyone knows Francis Ngannou is in the room. I see him he’s calm and he’s ready to step in there.”

Ngannou (16-3), who captured the crown from Stipe Miocic back in March, was expected to make his first title defense against heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis, but the promotion was unwilling to wait for “The Predator” and instead booked Lewis vs. Gane.

Gane (10-0) outclassed Lewis en route to a third-round technical knockout finish. “Bon Gamin” has risen through the heavyweight ranks unopposed, having disposed of top contenders like Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexander Volkov along the way.

“I think both guys are very prepared,” Usman continued. “I think both guys are ready to be the champion, so the best man will prevail.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 270 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV. You can bet on the card at DraftKings Sportsbook.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 270: “Ngannou vs. Gane” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For a look at the revised UFC 270 fight card and PPV lineup click here.