The first title fights of 2022 are in the books. After all the the buzz about Francis Ngannou’s (pictured above left) power and Ciryl Gane’s precision, the fight came down to Ngannou’s grappling. Deiveson Figueiredo also reclaimed his flyweight title in a razor thin decision against now-former champ, Brandon Moreno.

Through the eleven fights on the UFC 270 card, the Cage Calculus forecast favorites went 7-4, bringing the forecast’s overall record since its inception to 116-63-2. All forecast projections are based on a fighter’s CC rating. You can find out how those ratings are generated HERE. You can view the projections for last week’s fights HERE, HERE, and HERE. The CC Editor’s Picks were 9-2 and the odd-on favorites according to Vegas were 7-4.

2022 Overall Standings

• Cage Calculus Forecast: 13-8
• Cage Calculus Editor Picks: 15-6
• Las Vegas Oddsmakers: 14-7

Without further ado, here’s what we learned from UFC 270:

Francis Ngannou is More Dangerous Now

Most all MMA fans thought if Ngannou was going to walk out of the Honda Center with the belt around his waist it’d be because he removed Ciryl Gane (#3 CC, #1 UFC) from consciousness. However, that was far from the case. Ngannou is not the one trick pony we thought he was. Of all things, it was his grappling that made the difference in the later rounds of the bout. If he can win five-round decisions behind his ground game, that will make his striking even scarier (and it is already the scariest in the game today). We’ll see how that plays out going forward if he’s able to resolve his contract dispute with the UFC. If former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is the next man up, Ngannou sits behind him in the CC ratings. If a rematch with Stipe Miocic is in order, Ngannou and Miocic are virtually tied in the ratings. Either way, Ngannou’s next matchup will test how far he’s come as a mized martial artist and tell us more about where he fits in the pantheon of all-time greats.

Ciryl Gane Will Be Back, But Not a Champion Yet

The CC forecast made Gane a nearly 70 percent underdog coming into this title scrap. Despite acquitting himself well in the first couple of rounds, Gane was not nearly as dominant against Ngannou as he has been in the earlier stages of his career. He may need more time to get some marquee wins under his belt. His last four victories all featured him defeating fighters over 33 years old who were not known for their grappling at all. He then faced the 35 year-old Ngannou who is also not known for his ground game. Gane was exposed nonetheless. While he may be champion one day, Gane’s elevation to the summit of the heavyweight division appears to have been premature. He currently sits as the #3 heavyweight contender in the CC ratings. The numbers suggest a matchup with Curtis Blaydes (#5 CC, #4 UFC) would be a good follow-up matchup to test Gane’s skills.

There’s a Lot of Flyweight Parity

The judges’ scorecards could have gone either way in the flyweight title fight Saturday and no one really could blame them. The trilogy fight was close enough that many are already demanded yet another matchup between Figueiredo and Moreno (#1 CC, #1 UFC), making it their fourth consecutive flyweight title fight. However, you have a much-anticipated matchup between Kai Kara-France (#6 CC, #6 UFC) and Askar Askarov (#3 CC, #2 UFC) coming up in a couple of weeks. Brandon Royval (NR CC, #4 UFC) was the alternate for this fight and is coming off a win himself, so his title shot can’t be that far off. And Alexandre Pantoja (#2 CC, #3 UFC) is also waiting in the wings and has a win over Royval in his last fight. This division may not get the attention its heavier counterparts do, but there are so many fighters jockeying for the next shot. Figueiredo reclaiming his title confirmed the top of this division will be very crowded for a while to come.

A Mixed Bag for Debut Fighters

Historically, fighters making their UFC debut have a rough go of it, especially compared with their initial CC Ratings. UFC 270 featured a whopping eight fighters making their first walk to the UFC octagon. Those eight fighters went 4-4. On the winning side, Jasmine Jasudavicius shined against Kay Hansen, dominated the ground game and establishing herself early in the women’s flyweight division. Michael Morales made his debut at 22 years old and scored a first round KO. Jack Della Maddalena put on some of the most precise striking of the night en route to his own first round KO. Most impressively, however, was Victor Henry (#15 CC, NR UFC) in his stunning upset of Raoni Barcelos. It goes to show you never truly know what you’ll get until a fighter finally steps into the UFC cage for the first time.

Don’t Doubt the Dagestanis

Cody Stamann has certainly had a mixed career so far in the UFC. However, he’s never been outright dominated by an opponent. That stopped being true Saturday as Said Nurmagomedov had his way on the canvas en route to a submission win inside the first minute. The elite level fighters coming from Dagestan are starting to make a number of runs at UFC gold. The name Nurmagomedov may very well be one to start watching again (despite Said having no actual relation to Khabib). These disciplined fighters will be hard to ignore in every weight class they appear. The UFC is on notice. The Dagestani takeover is still in full force for 2022.

Photo Credit: Getty Images via CBS Sports