Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane official UFC 270 scorecard

Francis Ngannou’s first defense of his heavyweight championship didn’t go the way anyone expected.

The reigning undisputed titleholder had made a habit of making the judges’ scorecards unnecessary, but Ngannou went the full five rounds with interim champion Ciryl Gane and came out on top by unanimous decision to successfully defend his belt at UFC 270 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday.

View the official scorecard :

Ngannou shocked everyone by employing a wrestling-heavy game plan to control the fight in the final three rounds, which was reflected in the scorecards as all three judges scored Rounds 3, 4, and 5 for the defending champion. Judge Sal D’Amato also gave Round 1 to Ngannou.

This was the first-ever decision win for Ngannou in 20 pro bouts. Ngannou lost his previous three attempts to go the distance.

Ngannou now has six wins in a row, Gane losing for the first-time in his professional career.

Did the judges get the UFC 270 main event right?