If you had “Francis Ngannou gets a leglock escape” on your UFC bingo card, congratulations.
On Saturday in the main event of UFC 270, the heavyweight champion and baddest man on the planet brought a deeper bag of tricks to the cage than he ever had before. He needed all of them to overcome a game if uninspiring Cyril Gane to retain his title in Anaheim, California.
Neither man landed 20 strikes in any single round, according to UFC stats. Offense was a premium, meaning a few pivotal moments could make all the difference.