In the main event of UFC 260, Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic had their rematch three years in the making for the heavyweight title.
Miocic entered the fight coming off of his trilogy fight against Daniel Cormier to reclaim and defend his heavyweight title. He also dominated Ngannou for five rounds using his wrestling to win the fight. Ngannou, meanwhile, was on a four-fight winning streak with all four wins coming by first-round KO and the longest fight going 71 seconds.
In the end, it was Ngannou who exacted his revenge as he scored a second-round KO over Miocic to become the new heavyweight champ. Now, following UFC 260, here is what I think should be next for both fighters.
Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou was someone many pegged as a future UFC champion for years now and he finally did that as he showed off his improvements in grappling since the first fight. Ngannou was also much more patient and he got the KO win.
Now, after the win, the fight that has to be made is Ngannou vs. Jon Jones. In the lead-up to the scrap, Dana White said “Bones” would face the winner of Miocic-Ngannou, but after the event, Jones made it clear he needs to get paid what he is worth.
If the UFC and Jones can come to an agreement, the fight with Ngannou would likely happen in August and be one of the biggest fights of all-time.
Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic is in an interesting spot after his loss to Francis Ngannou.
After the loss to Ngannou, it’s unlikely he will get an immediate rematch as they are 1-1 given the UFC wants the Ngannou-Jones fight or the Derrick Lewis rematch. For Miocic, he will likely take some time off to let his brain heal and spend time with his family. He could also call it a career as he is 38 years of age.
However, I do think Miocic fights again and a logical next fight is against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. It is a winnable fight for Miocic and if he wins, he can get another crack at Ngannou. If Rozenstruik wins, he would become a top-contender and get that much closer to a title shot.
Yet, it’s uncertain when Miocic will return so how the heavyweight division will look also clouds who the former champ will fight.
Who do you think should be next for Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic?