Francis Ngannou walks out of the Octagon as the UFC Heavyweight Champion at UFC 260 (UFC Twitter)
Francis Ngannou is expected to fight Derrick Lewis next
Francis Ngannou has had a meteoric rise in the UFC ever since he lost to Derrick Lewis at UFC 226. The Cameroonian followed it up with four first-round knockout victories against all of his next four opponents, which included the likes of Cain Velasquez and Curtis Blaydes.
His four-fight win streak cemented his position as the number 1 ranked heavyweight contender.
Ngannou then faced Stipe Miocic in the ultimate showdown at UFC 260, earlier this year. It was a rematch, after Miocic had won the earlier fight via. unanimous decision.
However, Ngannou was not the same Ngannou that fought Miocic back in 2018. The Cameroonian had improved in leaps and bounds since that fight.
In only the second round of the fight, he knocked out the champ to clinch the heavyweight title. Ngannou’s popularity has grown meteorically since that win.
More recently, UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC heavyweight Don Frye expressed his desire to come out of retirement and face Ngannou in a fight.
In the latest episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Frye told an amused Rogan:
“[I want] to make a comeback…I’d love to fight Ngannou. Yeah, yeah. He’s amazing, yeah”
Frye is currently 55 years old and has previously won UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournaments, back in the 90s. He also holds a notable win over Ken Shamrock.
According to the UFC, Ngannou is expected to face Derrick Lewis in a rematch, which will see him defend his heavyweight title.
However, the Cameroonian is interested in fighting heavyweight newcomer and light-heavyweight GOAT Jon Jones.
A payment dispute between Jones and UFC President Dana White is the reason why a fight between Jones and Ngannou isn’t materializing.
If Jones lowers his demands or White accepts Jones’ demands, a super-clash between the two will very much be on the cards.
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