Stipe Miocic made history last night (Sat., Jan. 20, 2018) at UFC 220 by becoming the only man to defend the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight title three straight times after taking out Francis Ngannou in a rather dominant win.
And he made it look easy, though he had to weather some big shots from “The Predator,” who was riding in with a 10 fight win streak and the reputation of knocking people out with relative ease. And he was head hunting, as he grazed Miocic with shots that couldn’t find their marks, and the ones that did, didn’t have enough pop.
Miocic looked good, wearing out the big man with one takedown attempt after another, many of which were successful. When on the ground, Stipe utilized his ground-and-pound to score points. It was just obvious why Francis always hopes to score a quick win, as his cardio was shot after two rounds.
Still, Ngannou had nothing for Stipe, who proved he has what it takes to have a long and sustained run as titleholder in the land of the big men.
Now, Miocic will continue to add to his title defense record as he will likely get a rematch against Fabricio Werdum. The two went toe-to-toe back at UFC 198, with Stipe knocking out “Vai Cavalo” in the very first round to win the 265-pound strap.
Since then, Werdum has been on a mission to reclaim the strap, and more importantly to get a rematch against Stipe to prove he simply made a bonehead mistake by rushing in like a mad man.
Werdum has gone 3-1 since his loss to Miocic, so he is deserving. Had Cain Velasquez came back earlier and picked up a win, he could’ve been in line to challenge for the winner of Miocic vs Ngannou. But alas, the former Heavyweight champion hasn’t graced fight fans with his presence in over a year and a half due to injury.
Though he could be coming back very soon.
Until then, Werdum will likely get the shot against Miocic in what I expect to be a much more competitive fight than the first. Unless, of course, this crazy idea comes to fruition.
To get full UFC 220: “Miocic vs. Ngannou” play-by-play updates and results click here.