What’s Next for Francis Ngannou After UFC 270 Victory

The title reign of the first-ever African heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou continues, following a dominant victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. The French fighter gave it his best in the octagon but failed to make the right adjustment on the fly. Ngannou’s now improved wrestling proved to be the quintessential aspect of the match, which enabled him to retain the title.

The 35-year-old fighter showcased grit, high fight IQ, and commendable wrestling ability in the grueling 5 round fight.

Contrary to the popular belief, Francis Ngannou managed to grind out Gane to a unanimous win. Prior to this fight, the hard-hitting heavyweight carried a record with a 100% finish rate. It is unlikely that the champ will have an issue losing his perfect record, as he proved his naysayers wrong.

UFC has a lot of options for Francis Ngannou ahead

Well equipped with powerful wrestling ability, the rematch with former champion Stipe Miocic is definitely on the cards. Miocic has previously beaten him back in UFC 220 in 2018. Ngannou’s inexperience on the ground became his weakness, which Miocic exploited for 5-rounds, neutralizing his power.

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Fast forward to 3 years later, the duo once again faced each other at the UFC 260. This time, the improved version of Francis Ngannou stuffed Miocic’s takedown attempt, leaving no room for him to go. He closed the fight early in the second by securing a devastating knockout, which now warrants a third and final rubber match. The aging former champion is about to turn 40, UFC needs to hurry and book the fight in 2022 before it’s too late.

However, this is not his only loss in UFC as Ngannou has also suffered a loss at the hands of the ‘Black Beast,’ Derrick Lewis in a lackluster co-main event of UFC 226. The Duo would love to run that one back, and right that wrong.

Another enormous match-up that can take place in the heavyweight division is with Jon ‘Bones’ Jones. The 34-year-old fighter is one of the greatest fighters the sport of MMA has ever seen. He is technically undefeated with his only loss coming by the way of DQ against Matt Hamill.

Watch This Story: Event Recap, Best Fights From UFC 270 Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane

Back in August 2020, Jones announced his move to the heavyweight division and vacated his light heavyweight title. Ever since he hasn’t competed inside the octagon, and on his return, he is most likely going to fight for the heavyweight gold. This fight could become the biggest in the promotion’s history, with two marquee names fighting for the most prestigious prize in MMA.