UFC 270 preview: Why Francis Ngannou v Ciryl Gane is one of UFC's most intriguing heavyweight fights

Francis Ngannou will defend his UFC heavyweight title against undefeated interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

A big heavyweight fight tends to attract more attention than any other type, but this one goes way beyond a thrilling match-up. A win for either man would have a dramatic effect on the heavyweight landscape in the UFC.

Ngannou, 35, is one the most powerful and dominant figures in MMA history, and has won his past five fights via knockout.

Gane, 31, holds a perfect 10-0 record with seven consecutive wins in the UFC, despite only turning professional five years ago.

There's a history between these two fighters. They are old sparring partners, Gane is trained by Ngannou's former head coach Fernand Lopez, and the reigning champion is in the midst of a contract stand-off. Here's your UFC 270 preview for Ngannou v Gane.

Footage of a sparring session three years ago between Ngannou and Gane recently emerged on social media, which showed Gane gaining the upper hand.

Ngannou was hugely annoyed by the leak and hit back by claiming he knocked out Gane during the session at the MMA Factory in Paris.

«First of all, it wasn't sparring footage, it was a clip. I knocked him out with a left high kick,» Ngannou said.

Gane would deny this, which resulted in a tense, if friendly verbal exchange between the two at the press conference on Thursday. Gane questioned Ngannou's version of events before calling him a «liar».

Ngannou would go on to relocate permanently to Las Vegas and link up with a new coaching team. Plenty has been said about the split from both sides, but the switch paid off for Ngannou as he became heavyweight champion last March when he knocked out Stipe Miocic.

It was a seemingly impossible dream considering Ngannou's