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Now that UFC 249 is officially set to go down on May 9 — possibly in Florida — fight announcements are starting to trickle in. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, a proposed Heavyweight bout between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Roenstruick has now been made official.
Per the report, the bout was signed earlier today, hours after it was confirmed that UFC 249 was a go for May 9, just a day after the promotion announced the cancellation of four of its scheduled events.
Ngannou has won three straight over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, all via first round knockout which totaled a little over two minutes of fight time. “The Predator” has been unhappy with his lack of action, as he hasn’t stepped foot inside the Octagon since June of 2019.
Rozenstruick, meanwhile, has yet to taste defeat in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, going 4-0 inside the Octagon, all via knockout. In fact, all but one of “Bigi Boy’s” wins have come by KO. Rozenstrucik was last seen scoring a last-second win over Alistair Overeem at UFC on ESPN 7.
The 265-pound matchup between Ngannou and Rozenstruick could determine the next contender for the division strap, which is currently held by Stipe Miocic.
UFC 249 is expected to feature an interim Lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Al Iaquinta, while Henry Cejudo is in line to defend his Bantamweight title against Jose Aldo in the co-main event.
To see the entire UFC 249: “Ferguson vs Gaethje” fight card click here.