Francis Ngannou will take on heavyweight rival Cyril Gane in a title defence that could be his final outing in the octagon at UFC 270.
The Cameroon star will make the first defence of his belt competing for the first time since his revenge victory over Stipe Miocic that earned him the strap back in March last year.
He will face a stern test of his heavyweight credentials when he is challenged by rising star Gane who is currently undefeated in the promotion.
The Frenchman earned his shot with a victory over Derrick Lewis and has been produced as the latest talent from Ngannou's former 'MMA Factory' gym in Paris.
Tensions have already escalated with Ngannou snubbing Gane's handshake at a backstage meeting during UFC 267 with the rivalry raised due to Ngannou's poor relationship with former coach Fernand Lopez.
Ngannou's future remains uncertain in the UFC and a win could be his last if he is unable to negotiate a new deal and may look to find exploits in the boxing ring.
Find out all you need to know ahead of Ngannou's latest title defence this weekend...
When is Ngannou vs Gane?
Ngannou's clash with Gane takes place in the early hours of Sunday 23rd January this weekend at the Honda Center in California.
The pair have never met in the octagon prior to this clash with Gane looking to become heavyweight champion in just his eighth outing in the UFC.
Ngannou has held the belt since his victory over Miocic and will look to make his maiden defence in the final fight on his deal with the promotion.
The fight will be for the undisputed titles after Gane was crowned the interim title holder with his victory over Lewis back in August.
What time will Ngannou vs Gane start in the UK?
The main event ring walks at UFC 270 are expected to take place between 4:30-5am with the main card set to get underway at 3am in the UK.
Prelims will begin at around 11pm and will lead into the main card at that time depending on the duration of the undercard fights.
A packed main card will begin the broadcast at 3am with the huge co-feature title bout set to take place between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo at flyweight.
How to watch via TV and live stream
The early prelim fights will be shown on the UFC's streaming service Fight Pass while the prelim fights will be on BT Sport 1 from 1am.
The main card fights will then be available on BT Sport 1 from 3am.
The fights can be streamed using the BT Sport player on your computer, laptop or mobile device while using the BT Sport app.
Ngannou vs Gane fight card
Main card
Francis Ngannou (c) vs. Ciryl Gane (ic) for Undisputed Heavyweight title
Brandon Moreno (c) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo for Flyweight title
Michel Pereira vs. André Fialho; Welterweight
Cody Stamann vs. Said Nurmagomedov; Bantamweight
Prelims
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Wellington Turman; Middleweight
Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry; Bantamweight
Tony Gravely vs. Saimon Oliveira; Bantamweight
Trevin Giles vs. Michael Morales; Welterweight
Silvana Gomez Juarez vs. Vanessa Demopoulos; Women's Strawweight
Matt Frevola vs. Genaro Valdez; Lightweight
Kay Hansen vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius; Women's Flyweight
Odds
Ngannou 11/10
Gane 8/11
Who are you backing to win at UFC 270- Francis Ngannou or Cyril Gane? Let us know in the comments section below
Quotes Corner
Ngannou: “I heard Gane wants to go five rounds and win on points. That is definitely a BIG risk with my power to try and last that long.
“It will have to be his very lucky day to survive the first round or two, let alone five. If he makes five rounds, it will be a big accomplishment for him.
“My prediction is that it will probably be a second round knockout from me – or at least I will have knocked him out in under two rounds.”
Gane: "If I win, I think I can ask the UFC and I can work for this I little bit more because I will be the champion, so I hope this is going to help me to do that," he told Mirror Fighting .
"Of course, this is a dream of a lot of fans in my country, for this is my dream also. I want to bring the UFC to Paris and me with the main event."
