Home

UFC

Francis Ngannou Still Training Hard Despite Not Booking a Fight With the UFC in 2020

Published 11/24/2020, 7:27 AM EST

Follow Us

“The Predator” Francis Ngannou recently took to Twitter to post a motivational message for his fans and followers. The No.1 heavyweight contender can be seen training in his recent social post. He sent an inspiring message, “There’s no finish line. Push yourself to your limit and run through it #mondaymotivation.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Ngannou last competed at UFC 249, when he brutally knocked out fellow heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik inside 20 seconds of the 1st round. “The Predator”‘s prowess was in full display at Fight Island’s very first card.

Ngannou has been on a tear in the heavyweight division as he has beaten 10 of his 12 opponents to date. Only champion Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis have managed to better the knockout artist.

Francis Ngannou is on a roll lately

Since his boring decision loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC 226, Ngannou has finished his next four opponents within a total of 3 minutes of octagon time, all by knockout.

His victims include top contender Curtis Blaydes, and former champions Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, with Rozenstruik being the latest.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

With this run, he has once again managed to cement his place as the no.1 contender for champion Stipe Miocic. Ngannou realized his first title shot in 2018 at UFC 220 against Miocic.

But he was totally outclassed by the champion. Many might argue that “The Predator” lacked the necessary experience back then as he was still very early into his MMA career.

“The Predator” only wants to fight Miocic next

Ngannou has been campaigning for a title shot since his win at UFC 249. But champion Stipe Miocic is out after successfully defending his belt against Daniel Cormier at UFC 252.

This leaves Ngannou in an odd spot. He has barely taken any damage in his last fights and is ready to go again. But He isn’t willing to settle for anything less than a title shot as of now.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Getty

With Miocic out till an undisclosed date, Ngannou is without a fight until the champion is ready to defend. That though hasn’t stopped him from training hard and regularly.

Also, with Jon “Bones” Jones moving up to heavyweight, Ngannou might be worried that the former light-heavyweight champion might skip him in the line and get the title shot against Stipe Miocic.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Can Ngannou get a different outcome when he faces Miocic this time? Let us know your thoughts.

Joaquin Buckley Accepts Fight for UFC 257 Card

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Apratim Banerjee

1,260Articles

One take at a time

Apratim Banerjee is an MMA author for EssentiallySports and has been writing professionally for almost a year. Before his current gig, Apratim worked as a UFC writer for Sportskeeda. A long-time MMA fan, Apratim has developed a critical eye for the sport that has helped him transfer his vast knowledge to his copies and give hardcore and casual readers a detailed insight into the fights and fighters.
Show More>