One month before Francis Ngannou’s heavyweight championship win at UFC 260, Stipe Miocic was confident that the rematch would yield the same results as their bout two years prior at UFC 220. The following article published on this day last year captures that confidence.
The following article was published on this day last year. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 5, 2021, 11:16 AM]
Title: Miocic: It’s Unfortunate For Ngannou That He Has To Fight Me Again
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic believes that the “new” version of Francis Ngannou will get the same old outcome on March 27 when the two top heavyweights meet again.
Becoming a UFC champion is a life-changer. It’s impressive enough to make it to the biggest MMA promotion in the world from humble beginnings, but to then capture a title enhances not only the money and fame but the legacy. Francis Ngannou seems to be in this position once again after coming up short in his first bid for the world title in 2018.
The bad news for Ngannou is that this story will not have a different ending than it did on January 20, 2018, says world champion Stipe Miocic.
“Francis is a super tough guy,” Miocic said, speaking on the “Oral Sessions” podcast. “He’s been knocking everyone out again and he’s on a tear, and unfortunately he’s going to have to fight me again. That’s the bad part. He’s definitely gotten better, but so have I.
“I know I’m getting old, but I’ve gotten wiser and I’ve got a few new tricks up my sleeve. (They say) you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, which is a lie. I’ve learned a lot since the last couple years ago. It’s the same outcome. I’m going to walk out with the belt around my waist: and still.”
Miocic Identifies The Difference-Maker In Upcoming Rematch
Francis Ngannou continues to add more knockouts to his total that is on pace to break records. He surely already has the fastest knockouts-per-minute ratio in the history of the promotion, a stat that was solidified after KOing Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in under three minutes of total fight time.
Some may argue that Ngannou has not really changed. He is doing the same thing he’s always done: throw dumbells at his opponents’ faces, rendering them unconscious upon impact. But Ngannou does seem to be faster than he was before. Even still, the champion believes that Ngannou isn’t the only one who has gotten faster and that there is still a significant differential between the two.
“Timing and speed,” Miocic said. “Really just speed. It’s all about speed. Speed kills, and that’s something we’ve really worked on the last couple camps fighting ‘DC.’”
UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 takes place March 27, 2021 live on pay per view.
Do you think the rematch between Miocic and Ngannou will have the same outcome as their first encounter?
