Francis Ngannou is back … well, sorta.
The reigning UFC heavyweight champion is several months removed from the knee surgery that repaired damage suffered ahead of his Ciryl Gane title defense at UFC 270 to kick off the New Year. While a timeline for his Octagon return has yet to be finalized, the promotion is hoping to get “The Predator” booked for a headlining pay-per-view (PPV) card against Jon Jones in March.
Where Ngannou can test his “slow haymakers” against the former 205-pound champion.
The heavyweight bruiser, who packed on a few extra pounds while mired in kneehab, is “slowly getting back into kicking” with coach Eric Nicksick at Xtreme Couture MMA in Las Vegas, Nevada. Judging by the power unleashed in those legs, a fully healthy Ngannou is going to present a formidable challenge for any opponent, even one as skilled and as battle-tested as “Bones.”
Let’s just hope they can first get this little detail worked out.