Last night at UFC 260, Francis Ngannou (16-3) shook up the combat sports world. The Predator took on the greatest heavyweight champion in the history of the promotion, Stipe Miocic (20-4) for the second time.
When the two men first fought back at UFC 220, Miocic was able to dominate his way to a decision victory. Last night played out much differently and we saw a completely different version of Francis Ngannou.
In their first fight, Ngannou was extremely wild, had no takedown defense, and fatigued quickly. Last night at UFC 260, Ngannou showed incredible takedown defense, he was extremely poised and didn’t look remotely tired after the first round.
In the second round, Ngannou came on strong and dropped Miocic. Miocic landed a big counter right that gave him a false sense of security and he rushed after Ngannou. That’s when the Predator landed a short left that put Miocic out cold.
Francis Ngannou is the new UFC heavyweight champion and he has superstar written all over him. For months, we’ve thought that Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC) would be the next in line. However, Dana White said last night that Jones isn’t a guarantee to get the next shot.
UFC could make Ngannou – Lewis 2?
At the UFC 260 post-fight press conference, White was asked about what’s next for Ngannou. He said, “If Jon Jones really wants that fight, we can make that fight tonight. (When looking at the division) Derrick Lewis is the fight to make.”
The former UFC light heavyweight champion had stated on Twitter that he wants to get paid for his shot at Ngannou. If there’s a negotiation snag with Jones, Derrick Lewis (25-7, 1 NC) is the number one contender.
The Black Beast has won four fights in a row and owns a victory over the new UFC heavyweight champion. Lewis and Ngannou are the two biggest knockout artists arguably in the promotion’s history. Their first fight was awful, but I think their second fight would deliver.
I still believe Jones is the big favorite to get the next shot, but Derrick Lewis is a very compelling option. So what about Stipe Miocic? If Miocic comes back at all, he’s going to need to take some time.
His wife is getting ready to have a baby and that was an awful loss. Miocic needs to take a little time and perhaps he can come back and get another crack at the UFC heavyweight title in early 2022.