UFC boss on title shot for Francis Ngannou: “It’s not that easy”
Very little is guaranteed in the constantly shifting realm of MMA
Cameroonian heavyweight Francis Ngannou scored a huge knockout win over former UFC champion Junior dos Santos at UFC on ESPN 3 this weekend. Sitting comfortably at a #2 ranked spot in the division and with three straight knockout wins, two over former UFC champions, one would be forgiven for taking Ngannou’s potential title shot for granted, but it’s not all smooth sailing ahead.
Reigning heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is slated to rematch #1-ranked Stipe Miocic – the former champion who “DC” knocked out to win the title. According to UFC president Dana White, nothing can be decided until Cormier and Miocic meet for a second time.
“This fight has to play out first,” White said at the press conference after the fight. “Stipe and Cormier has to play out. … Who wins, how they come out of that fight, what does Cormier want to do next if he wins.
“There’s a lot of things that play into what’s next. It’s not as easy as, ‘Oh, I won tonight, and I’m next for the fight.’ And we know this. I go through this every single time there’s a fight.”
Ngannou confident in future titel shot
Having already defeated the third and fourth ranked Ngannou sees himself as deserving of the next title shot. It would be his second attempt at winning UFC gold, as he challenged Miocic for the title at UFC 220 – losing a lop-sided decision after five full rounds.
“Do I deserve the title shot? I think the answer is yes,” Ngannou said. “Then what happens if somebody gets injury? I just want them to give me the title contract, and then we have time to prepare and put things together.
“If ‘DC’ wins and decides to retire, the division will not stay without a champion. They will have to figure out something, and I’ll be at the head of the line. I’m not concerned about that.”
Regardless of if he gets the next title shot or now, Ngannou is sure to be on the short list and he is without a doubt the strongest top contender in the division at the moment.
Does Ngannou deserve the next title shot?
