Daniel Cormier on the unexpected manner in which Francis Ngannou beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 - “He was down two rounds to zero”

Daniel Cormier has weighed in on Francis Ngannou’s unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane in their highly-anticipated UFC heavyweight championship fight.

Speaking to ESPN MMA’s Ashley Brewer, 'DC' addressed a couple of significant points regarding Francis Ngannou’s victory. Brewer and Cormier first discussed the victory over Gane being the first time Ngannou ever won a professional MMA fight on the judges’ scorecards.

‘The Predator’s’ MMA record currently stands at 17 wins and 3 losses in 20 fights. His 3 losses came via unanimous decision. Meanwhile, 16 of his 17 wins came via stoppage (KO/TKO or submission), primarily via KO/TKO. The only fight he’s won on the judges’ scorecards is his aforementioned victory over Gane.

Secondly, Gane out-struck and outpointed Ngannou in rounds one and two. However, ‘The Predator’ surprised him and won the rest of the fight with a grappling-heavy gameplan.

Addressing this point, 'DC' stated:

“Ashley, this was the first time that Francis has ever gotten a takedown in a fight. He was down two rounds to zero going into round three. And he used takedown and grappling to keep his championship. No one in the world [expected this]; Francis winning by decision was +1,200 at the sportsbooks. This was not expected. But Francis Ngannou showed his evolution.”

Cormier alluded to the fact that Ciryl Gane has only been a professional MMA fighter since 2018. He opined that Gane’s still relatively young in the sport and made a fight IQ error against Ngannou that cost him the fight.

'DC' said:

“And also, it showed that Ciryl Gane – for as good as he is – is only 10-0 and really made a fight IQ mistake that ultimately cost him the championship.”

Watch Daniel Cormier address Francis Ngannou’s UFC 270 win below:

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Francis Ngannou’s knee injury issues made him fight differently at UFC 270

Francis Ngannou was reportedly dealing with a grade-three MCL tear, torn MPFL and damaged ACL heading into the fight against Ciryl Gane.

In an ESPN interview with Megan Olivi after UFC 270, Ngannou indicated that due to injuries, he wasn’t comfortable in the striking department but utilized his grappling to win.

‘The Predator’ said:

“I couldn't be stable on my stance. I couldn't move with confidence so I was very afraid. Even though certain positions were hurting, I was able to deal with that [grappling] better than the striking."

The Gane fight was the last on Ngannou’s current UFC contract. Whether 'The Predator' chooses to keep his title and stay with the company per the contract's champion’s clause, or vacate the title and leave the UFC, remains to be seen.