Francis Ngannou looks set to finally get his second shot at UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic after more than three years of waiting.
However, the victory over one of the greatest heavyweight champions in the history of the company will give ‘The Predator’ the unenviable task of having to defend him against Jon Jones.
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Francis Ngannou can finally get his hands on Jon Jones
Miocic ended his 12-month absence from the Octagon to defeat Daniel Cormier in their trilogy fight at UFC 252 in Las Vegas in August and retain his title.
Ahead of his first loss to ‘DC’ in 2018, the Ohio native overturned Ngannou’s power and destruction in five rounds to temporarily derail the Cameroonian hype train.
However, according to Ariel Helwani, Ngannou will now have another shot at Miocic as a reward for his rise to the heavyweight rankings, with the UFC targeting a date in March.
He said: “The UFC wants Stipe Miocic to defend the heavyweight title against Francis Ngannou in March.
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Miocic surpassed ‘the Predator’ Ngannou when they met in January 2018
“The title fight is not over yet, but that’s definitely what the promotion wants, they told me.
“In a perfect world, the UFC would like the winner of that fight to defend the belt against Jon Jones in the summer.”
Jones gave up his light heavyweight title in the summer to fully focus on becoming a two-weight world champion to solidify his legacy.
After Khabib Nurmagomedov was declared pound-for-pound number 1 in the world after UFC 254, ‘Bones’ launched a long tirade on why he deserved to stay at the top of the list.
Jon Jones Instagram
‘Bones’ looks huge as he prepares to launch an assault on the heavyweight division
However, it appears that he has decided to prove it in the Octagon and winning the UFC heavyweight title in his first fight in a new weight class would certainly cement his claims.
The 33-year-old has recently increased his physique and is convinced he will tip the scales 35 pounds more than his days in the 205-pound division, where he reigned supreme for so long.
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