The UFC’s first pay-per-view (PPV) event of 2018 is now just one day away, as UFC 220 is set to take place tomorrow night (Jan. 20, 2018) live from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
In the main event, reigning heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will look to make the third defense of his title against surging knockout artist Francis Ngannou, while the co-main event, will play host to a light heavyweight title bout between champion Daniel Cormier and red-hot rising contender Volkan Oezdemir.
Without further ado, let’s take a deeper look into UFC 220’s biggest fights in our preview, breakdown and analysis:
Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou
UFC 220’s main event will feature not only one of the most anticipated but arguably the best heavyweight title fights in recent memory.
Miocic will be looking to make history, as another win would earn him the record for most consecutive title defenses made by a UFC heavyweight champion, but he’ll face a stiff test in Ngannou, a man who very well could be the most powerful puncher the division’s ever seen.
In terms of overall skillset, the champion is extremely well-rounded. He has crisp and polished boxing and a strong wrestling background. He’s also very athletic, moves well and possesses legitimate knockout power, although that aspect of his game seems to be getting a bit overlooked due to his opponent.
It’s also important to note that Miocic is in the prime of his career and only getting better, which may be true of Ngannou as well. The champion has won five consecutive bouts, with four of them ending in first round stoppages and all five of them have come against some of the best heavyweights the sport has ever seen.
Ngannou, on the other hand, is still a bit of a mystery.
What we do know, is that his punching power is unlike that of possibly any other fighter we’ve ever seen. He possesses an 11-1 overall record and a 6-0 record inside of the octagon. Five of his UFC victories have come by way of T/KO.
The man they call “The Predator” is strong, fast and athletic in his own right. He has fantastic timing and the ability to finish any opponent with one single shot.
What we don’t know, however, is how good of a ground game he has. He has one UFC victory by way of submission, but we really haven’t seen him grapple much, although he appears to be constantly approving. Regardless, I’d give Miocic the advantage in that area.
Ultimately, I’ve gone back-and-forth on this fight quite a bit.
I could see Miocic using his more well-rounded skillset and experience to attempt to stick and move and wrestle Ngannou in an attempt to drag this fight to the later rounds. However, it’s unclear how big of a factor Ngannou’s size advantage will play into the wrestling category, and once again, if he lands one big shot, the night could end rather quickly.
For that reason, I’ll side with “The Predator”.
Prediction: Francis Ngannou def Stipe Miocic via first-round knockout
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