Francis Ngannou is on a three-fight win streak, all by knock out or TKO. His latest comes with his most recent win over Junior Dos Santos in Minneapolis; Nagannou believes he is on the path to a title shot. However, when a fighter shows dominance in one aspect of mixed martial arts, fans question if Ngannou is well-rounded enough to be a champion.
During the post-fight press conference, Ngannou was asked about the skill set outside of his punching power and if he needed to convince fans of his skills outside of striking. Ngannou said, “I don’t need to convince people.” For him, his wins and finishes are enough to not only convince fans but make his argument that he should fight for the title after Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic face off in August.
Ngannou asked his own question in part of his response; “How did I convince people that I could beat Junior tonight?” He added, “The only thing that convinced people is the result.”
Since his loss to Derrick Lewis, Ngannou has three first round finishes that he believes is argument enough to fight for the title again. His previous loss was to Stipe Miocic, his first title shot and that fight is one Ngannou knows is on the horizon no matter what happens in Anaheim in August. “Stipe is the rematch that I want to do,” Ngannou said when looking at the upcoming title fight. “DC is the double champ about to retire,” he added and while he would like a fight with him before that happens, he believes either man is a good fight for him.
Outside of his power, Ngannou says the only changes he has made since breaking away from the losses is his mindset approaching fights. Being confident and calm is his new approach that seems to be working for Ngannou, that and his focus on a title shot.
Do you think Ngannou will get his title shot in 2019?
