“The Predator” is on the hunt again.
Following a disappointing loss to heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic back in January, Francis Ngannou wanted to take some time off to recover and visit with friends and family before booking his next fight.
Now it appears the ferocious knockout artist has found an opponent he’d like to face in his return to the Octagon later this year.
“Derrick [Lewis] has been talking some of his s–t while I was off,” Lewis wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “Can someone please let him know that I’m here now, so if he really wants me, he should send his manager to deal with the UFC.”
Derrick has been talking some of his sh*t while I was off . Can someone please let him know that I'm here now, so if he really wants me, he should send his manager to deal with @ufc
— Francis NGannou (@francis_ngannou) March 18, 2018
Ngannou and Lewis are no strangers to each other after trading several shots over social media and through interviews for the past year.
Following Lewis’ loss to Mark Hunt in 2017, Ngannou ripped the Texas native for his performance. In return, Lewis offered the same kind of commentary for Ngannou after he was soundly defeated by Miocic in January.
Lewis also called for the fight with Ngannou following his most recent win over Marcin Tybura in February.
“I believe that I’m better than Francis all the way around,” Lewis said. “Striking, grappling, ground game, submission, whatever. I believe I’ve got better conditioning than him. I’m better disciplined. I listen to my coaches. I really believe I could beat this guy.”
If the UFC’s listening to two of their best heavyweights, there’s a good chance this matchup will come together in 2018. Lewis still doesn’t have an opponent following his latest win and Ngannou appears ready to restart his climb back up the heavyweight ladder with “The Black Beast” targeted as his next opponent.
Now it’s just up to the UFC to put the fight together.
Would you like to see Francis Ngannou take on Derrick Lewis? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
