Francis Ngannou is Next for Stipe Miocic Says Dana White

Stipe Miocic will defend his heavyweight strap in a couple of hours against Daniel Cormier at the main-event of UFC 252. However, Miocic has already bagged another opportunity of fighting for the title in his next appearance.

Win or Lose, Daniel Cormier has vowed to hang up his MMA gloves. That said, the heavyweight division would move on with Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic. UFC chief Dana White has validated Miocic’s retainment in the title tale, along with the addition of ‘The Predator’, sending MMA fans into a frenzy.

Dana White is up for Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou next

While interacting with The Schmo, White chalked up some plans for the heavyweight division post-UFC 252. If DC wins the belt opposite Miocic, he would have to vacate it before retirement.

Thus, there would be fresh contenders aiming at the belt and Francis Ngannou is already billed as one of them. White intensified the scenario by teasing a possible re-match between ‘The Predator’ and ‘The Silencer’.

“It would be hard to deny Stipe.”

 “Francis is next in line,” said White.

However, the UFC chief primarily wants to see how DC vs Miocic plays out. It’s no secret that Dana White did not want Cormier to retire. While the two-division champion, Cormier, has already made up his mind, White also wants to move on now.

“We’ll see what happens on Saturday and then yeah, Francis is the guy,” he admitted.

Ngannou is currently the number two-ranked heavyweight and is riding a four-fight win streak. There’s no one more legitimate as a title contender than him at this point.

Since Ngannou has also aimed at the UFC gold with his cheeky social media posts, he would have to re-match Miocic and avenge the loss to don the belt.

The First Fight

Ngannou has had his first title attempt against Miocic at UFC 220. Surprisingly, ‘The Predator’s’ KO power did not help him come out on the top as Miocic out-wrestled him throughout.

The fight went for all the five rounds, with Miocic’s sheer dominance on the mat. Ngannou had very little to offer in response as he faced his first loss in UFC.

However, Ngannou has evolved highly since the fight. While he also holds the knowledge of facing Miocic now, the rematch can play out differently.

Meanwhile, Miocic’s performance against Cormier at UFC 252 can also be an effective part of Ngannou’s upcoming game plan for the title.