Report: Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane in the works for UFC 270 headliner on Jan. 22

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is expected to face current interim 265-pound titleholder Ciryl Gane in the UFC 270 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, scheduled for Sat., Jan. 22, 2022 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

That’s according to French outlet LaSueur.

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.

The promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Also targeted for the UFC 270 fight card is the middleweight title fight between reigning 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya and former division titleholder Robert Whittaker. The winner will likely move on to face the winner of Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier, who also collide on Jan. 22 in “Sin City.”

Stay tuned for more UFC 270 fight announcements in the coming weeks.