Francis Ngannou believes he’ll be deserving of another title shot with a win over Junior dos Santos at UFC 239.
Francis Ngannou is determined to prove he’s championship material.
After losing in a title bout to former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 220, and disappointing UFC boss Dana White in his lackluster rebound fight against Derrick Lewis, ‘The Predator’ is back on the road to title contention.
The heavy hitting knockout artist is on a two-fight win streak, knocking out Curtis Blaydes and ex-champ Cain Velasquez in back-to-back fights at UFC Fight Night 141 and UFC on ESPN 1.
Ngannou will look to add another former champ to his resume when he takes on Junior dos Santos later this year at UFC 239, and the 32-year-old believes a win ought to warrant him another crack at the heavyweight title.
“After the last fight I thought I would get the title fight back, but it didn’t happen, I don’t know why” Ngannou told reporters at a recent press conference, per MMA Junkie. “I’m so happy to have the fight against Junior. He don’t have the belt, but we all know he’s a champion. We have seen him since he comes back, he looks like a champ.”
“I think after this there will be no issues with the belt,” he continued. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Ngannou’s opponent, dos Santos, is on his first major win streak since 2012, netting three straight wins over Blagoy Ivanov, Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis.
UFC 239, which features Ngannou vs. Dos Santos on the main card, is scheduled to take place later this year, July 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.