October 06, (THEWILL) –Â In the first pay-per-view in 2022, defending champion Francis Ngannou will face interim champion Ciryl Gane in a heavyweight title unification event at UFC 270 on Jan. 22.
On Wednesday, multiple sources monitored by THEWILL revealed that the fighters had verbally agreed to meet. There have been no bout agreements issued or signed up to this point.
The fight’s date was announced first by the French publication La Sueur.
Since Gane won the interim title with a TKO victory over Derrick Lewis in August, the heavyweights have been on a collision path. While Gane’s victory was spectacular, it came just four months after Ngannou won the heavyweight belt by knocking out Stipe Miocic in the second round, as THEWILL reported.
Following that victory, Ngannou had been in talks with the UFC about defending his title against Lewis, but after returning home to Cameroon, he decided to fight in September rather than August, as the promotion had planned.
Because Ngannou was unable to compete on the scheduled date, the UFC decided to create an interim title, with Gane earning the title after defeating Lewis. Gane improved to 10-0 overall, with six of those victories coming in the UFC.
The erstwhile training partners are slated to meet in January, with only one of them going away with a UFC heavyweight title.
The site of UFC 270 has yet to be determined, however it is expected to take place in the United States.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
