Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou takes place at UFC 260 on Saturday night. The second pay-per-view event of the month, this one takes place inside the Apex Center in Las Vegas.
Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou Preview
Two-time champ Stipe Miocic looks to break a first-place tie with Randy Couture for most wins in the heavyweight division if he is victorious against Ngannou.
Miocic and Couture tie with six heavyweight championship titles.
Miocic understands that this match will not be an easy win. Ngannou is considered to be one of the scariest fighters in all of combat sports. He hits hard and wants to hold the title.
Francis Ngannou
Nicknamed “The Predator,” Ngannou is the Mike Tyson of the UFC. He holds a 15-3 MMA record. All 15 of those stoppages have come by way of knockout.
The hard-hitting slugger won his last three matches in the Octagon in under three-minutes combined. That includes a 71-second KO against Junior dos Santos and a 60-second KO against Cain Velasquez, two UFC greats.
He averages a time of 5:34 in the octagon. On one side, this shows his true power. On the other hand, this puts him at a disadvantage when he does not win the knockout early on in the bout.
He lacks ground game but, on his feet, he is nothing to play with.
What is to be seen at UFC 260 is if Ngannou has improved his game since the first match against Miocic.
Have those lightning-fast KO’s allowed the newcomer time (Ngannou joined the UFC in 2015) to improve his game?
We know he is a slugger in the Octagon, but does he have the stamina and skills to absorb a longer match if he does not earn that quick knockout? Has his jiu-jitsu game improved enough to keep up with Miocic’s impressive wrestling and grappling skills?
Stipe Miocic
Miocic is widely considered the best in his division in the sport. He holds a 14-3 UFC record (20-3 MMA record.)
Miocic went into the Octagon as the underdog in several bouts but won against superstars like Alistair Overeem, Daniel Cormier, and of course, Ngannou in 2018. At UFC 241, Miocic stopped Cormier despite a -58 strike deficit.
He displays amazing cardio and agility in the octagon. The sheer skill level of Miocic makes the fighter dangerous against any fighter.
The biggest obstacle standing the way for Miocic at UFC 260 is his age and time in the octagon. We have all seen what happens when your time comes to an end as a professional fighter when Chris Weidman knocked out Anderson Silva at UFC 162 in one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history.
All of the mileage, ground and pound action and right hooks take their toll on a fighter. This is true even for Miocic, who’s fought only five times in the past four years.
Will this affect the outcome at Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou at UFC 260?
Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou Fight Breakdown
This bout could go either way. Miocic has proven that he can stand 25-minutes with Ngannou, but three years in the MMA leaves room for improvement. Age inhibits our physical abilities, which creates another disadvantage for Miocic.
Ngannou has proven that he has knockout power against even UFC greats. Yet, his loss at UFC 220 proves that he lacks ground skills and stamina.
That was then and no one really knows how much Ngannou has improved since UFC 220.
On the other hand, we don’t know how time and a four-fight record in four-years have affected Miocic. Hunger and determination play favorably for Miocic, who wants nothing more than another win on his GOAT streak.
Miocic could potentially fight Jon “Bones” Jones if he wins against Ngannou.
The Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou fight is one that no fight fan should miss.
