Ngannou's victory was his first title defence.
Francis Ngannou produced a stunning comeback to earn a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane and retain his title at UFC 270 in Anaheim, California.
Ngannou used his wrestling skills to land a series of takedowns in the third round to beat the French interim champion and unify the heavyweights division.
It was an uncharacteristic move for Ngannou, whose punching power has earned him the reputation as one of the most fearsome knockout artists in UFC history.
Ngannou was hampered by a knee injury in training, but refused to pull out.
He said that he hurt his knee three weeks ago. This was a good time for me to remind people I'm the champ. Some people sleep on me.
Brazil's Deiveson Figueiredo reclaimed the UFC flyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Mexico's Brandon Moreno in the co-main event.
Figueiredo called for a fourth title fight with Moreno in Mexico after they won and lost in their first three meetings.
Ngannou is more than a knockout artist.
The main event was one of the most anticipated UFC title fights in recent memory, with the destructive hitting of Ngannou pitting against the more technical style of Gane.
Fernand Lopez was Ngannou's former mentor during his time in France and used to spar with the pair.
While Ngannou looked stern and intent for his first UFC title defence, Gane appeared relaxed on his walk to the octagon.
Ngannou waited for his chance to strike, while Gane used his movement to maintain his distance and avoid damage.
Experts had predicted that the fight would go how they had predicted, with the champion being outpointed by a series of kicks to the legs and body.
There were sections of the Honda Centre crowd that booed in frustration, and something had to change for Ngannou going into round three.
Ngannou caught a high kick from his opponent and slammed him to the ground in a powerful manner, because his tactic of waiting to catch Gane with a big knockout blow was not working.
Ngannou's previous five victories had all been by knockout.
The champion dominated the fight in the fourth as he spent over two minutes on top.
Ngannou's coaching team told him that whoever won this round would win the fight.
When the buzzer sounded, Ngannou was confident that he had done enough to retain his title and raised his arms in triumph.
He went back to his corner with a look of dejection on his face, knowing that his chance at becoming world champion had probably been snuffed out.
The evolution of Ngannou's game.
Despite his knee injury, the champion's improvements in wrestling and jiu jitsu, showcased with the work he did in taking down his opponent and controlling the fight on the ground, revealed a new side to his game.
Kamaru told Ngannou "this is the evolution of your game", while Ngannou said he always believed in his all-round abilities.
He would be a tough opponent. He said he stayed composed, calmed down and trusted himself.
The bout was the final one on Ngannou's UFC contract, although a champion's clause ties him into one more.
Ngannou made it clear that he does not believe he is being paid enough by the UFC and that his future may lie in boxing.
Ngannou said that boxing is something he must do before he ends his career.
I will think about it because it's not like I have a lifetime here.
He will be back, despite acknowledging his disappointment.
He apologized and said that Francis did very well. I have my whole career in front of me and it was a good experience.
Figueiredo gets redemption.
Henry Cejudo was in Figueiredo's corner for the fight.
In the co-main event, Figueiredo avenged his loss to Moreno by earning a unanimous decision victory to become a two-time UFC world flyweight champion.
The Mexican was floored multiple times by the Brazilian and he landed a number of damaging leg kicks.
Figueiredo thanked Brandon for giving him the fight of the night and said it was his day in there. I'm ready for a fourth fight with you.
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