UFC 270 – Could Francis Ngannou walk away from the UFC following his title-unification win over Ciryl Gane?

Francis Ngannou has built a championship fighting career by unleashing blows with earth-shattering impact. Prior to Saturday night, the UFC heavyweight champion had finished his five most recent fights by knockout, three in less than a minute.

Ngannou’s UFC 270 main event in Anaheim, California, ended with challenger Ciryl Gane horizontal on the canvas too. But Ngannou employed a whole different way of putting him there, using four takedowns to seize control in a fight he was losing and earn a unanimous decision in his first title defense. For Ngannou, it was his first career victory by decision.

This was not the Ngannou we’ve come to expect. Trading the fast and furious for patient and persistent, the champ unveiled an evolved fighter who’ll be fascinating to watch in UFC title defenses to come.

But will there be UFC defenses to come?

Saturday’s victory came in the final bout of Ngannou’s seven-fight contract, but what’s commonly referred to as a champion’s clause ties him to the UFC for three more fights or one year. Ngannou let it be known last week that he will choose Option B, telling ESPN he will not compete again for the UFC under his current deal.

Ngannou is now in position to try to deliver one of his old-fashioned thumpings. This one, however, would occur outside the Octagon. If he follows through with his insistence that he will sit out a year to free himself from his contractual…