We have a date for arguably the most anticipated rematch in UFC heavyweight history.
At the UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar post-fight press conference, Dana White confirmed that Francis Ngannou’s wait is over and that he will have his second crack at Stipe Miocic’s world heavyweight championship at UFC 260 on March 27. Ngannou’s patience was at its end as he waiting to learn when he would be able to not only get another world title shot but have another fight in general. Ngannou and the rest of the world now know exactly when that will be.
The first time Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou faced off, Miocic was able to use his wrestling to make it a one-sided affair and earn a shutout decision victory over Ngannou. This was Miocic’s record-breaking third successful title defense in the heavyweight division.
Miocic would drop the title in his next fight to Daniel Cormier, only to rally back to win the next two fights and be declared the victor of the trilogy. Miocic will now look to rebuild a new streak of title defenses at UFC 260, or if unsuccessful, this bout could serve as the sequel of a second trilogy for the most accomplished heavyweight in UFC history.
Francis Ngannou has put in the work to get back to this position of challenging for a world title. After his loss to Miocic, Ngannou had another setback when he lost to Derrick Lewis via unanimous decision at UFC 226. Fans began to wonder if the Predator who crushed everything and everyone in his path in minutes was a thing of the past.
Francis Ngannou would settle those doubts with four consecutive knockouts under 1:30 minutes over high-level fighters Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Curtis Blaydes, and most recently, Jairzhino Rozenstruik. At UFC 260, Ngannou will look to add Stipe Miocic’s name on that list and get back the loss that haunts him most in the process.
The current lineup for UFC 260 includes:
UFC World Heavyweight Championship Bout: Stipe Miocic © vs. Francis Ngannou
UFC Featherweight Championship Bout: Alexander Volkanovski © vs. Brian Ortega
Who takes the rematch? Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou?
