UFC 270: When is Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane and how can I watch it?
- Joe Hewlett
- 21 January 2022
Francis Ngannou will collide against Ciryl Gan in a heavyweight unification this weekend at the Honda Center.
Francis Ngannou would relish the opportunity to go head-to-head with Tyson Fury in his next fight.
The 35-year-old UFC heavyweight champion faces former team-mate Ciryl Gane in a unification bout in Anaheim, California at the weekend, but would take to the octagon with WBC champion Fury having challenged him to a contest wearing MMA's lighter gloves.
Asked if everything goes to plan against Gane whether he would rather face him or defend his title against Jon Jones in his next fight, the Predator told a press conference: "If you give me the two options, I would choose to fight Tyson Fury.
"After fighting Stipe [Miocic], the John Jones fight was on the table, but it seems like nobody really cares about it, so I don't know.
"And also, we don't even know what is the position of John Jones right now. I'm not planning my life based on that. I will plan my life based on the facts."
Ngannou has made no secret of his desire to make the switch to boxing one day, and Fury's fearsome reputation in the ring and Conor McGregor's defeat by Floyd Mayweather have proved no deterrent.
Asked if the prospect excited him, he replied: "Yes, very much because as many of you might know, my dream since I was a kid was to become a boxer. Along the way, I discovered MMA, which has been great to me.
"But still that hasn't taken away that dream of boxing. I always knew that I wanted to get a part of boxing in my career before the end of my career."
In the meantime, Ngannou will concentrate on the task of beating Gane, with whom he sparred during his time at the MMA Factory showing few signs of wanting to heal the rift with former coach Fernand Lopez.
Lopez has since said he regards the fighter as a "son" and that he would like to repair their relationship, but Ngannou said: "Screw him. I don't play that game.
"I know exactly what he's playing. Stop being a hypocrite. If you don't like somebody, speak clearly about your mind."
When and where is Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane?
They will collide on Saturday, January 22 at the Honda Center. It is expected to generate $5million in revenue at the gate.
How can I watch it?
In America, the fight is on ESPN+ while UK fans can watch it all go down on BT Sport 2. Brits can expect it to begin at around 03:00 GMT.
Who is fighting on the main card?
Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane (UFC Heavyweight Championship)
Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueiredo (UFC Flyweight Championship)
Michel Pereira vs Andre Fialho Welterweight)
Cody Stamann vs Said Nurmagomedov (Bantamweight)
The prelims
Rodolfo Vieira vs Wellington Turman (Middleweight)
Raoni Barcelos vs Victor Henry (Bantamweight)
Ilia Topuria vs Charles Jourdain (Featherweight)
Jack Della Maddalena vs Pete Rodriguez (Welterweight)
The early prelims
Tony Graveley vs Saimon Oliveira (Bantamweight)
Trevin Giles vs Michael Morales (Welterweight)
Silvana Gomez Juarez vs Vaness Dempoulos (Women's strawweight)
Matt Frevola vs Genaro Valdez (Lightweight)
Kay Hansen vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (Women's flyweight)
