UFC Heavyweight Contender Francis Ngannou Knows Who He Wants Next…

Things haven’t worked out for Francis Ngannou quite the way he imagined. Before he fought Stipe Miocic on January 20, few would have bet against him being the UFC heavyweight champion. The Cameroonian possesses the hardest punch in the world and after he put Alistair Overeem to sleep with a KO from Hell, nobody gave Miocic a chance.

However, Miocic put in a masterclass on the night to become the first heavyweight to successfully defend the belt three times. After being schooled by the Seattle native, Ngannou took some time away to reflect and recover from the fight as well as all the media exposure.

Ngannou got a massive push from the UFC in the build-up to that fight. Many believe that if he won he could have been their next breakout star. Ngannou has been linked to rebound fights against the likes of Derrick Lewis and Mark Hunt. However, he has his own idea and it’s one that fans might like.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports.

First Choice

Lewis has been very vocal in his attempts to get Ngannou’s attention. ‘The Predator’ broke his self-imposed silence yesterday and said if Lewis was serious, he should get his manager to speak to the UFC. However, ‘The Black Beast’ isn’t Ngannou’s first choice opponent.

Nope, that prize goes to a certain Mr. Brock Lesner. The WWE star and former UFC heavyweight champion is the name on Ngannou’s lips. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Ngannou explained why the fight would work:

“I like the fight. He look like, I don’t know if you ever seen this guy, he looks very, very big and strong. And I really want to try that.”

Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara, USA TODAY Sports.

What a Fight

There’s no doubt that this fight would be absolute fireworks. Lesner is still a massive mainstream draw and has been linked to a UFC return after being spotted with Dana White last month while wearing a UFC t-shirt. Ngannou is a brave man to call him out.

“Please Brock, come back. Come back, my friend. We need you here,” Ngannou said. “We need you to put the fun in this division. I need you to give me that f*cking fight I’ve been waiting for for a long time, I’ve been dreaming for.”

With Stipe Miocic set to take on Daniel Cormier in a heavyweight title super fight, there’s really not many other exciting options in the division. Lesner vs Ngannou would definitely be exciting. Questions would be asked about Lesner’s chin, and about the holes in Ngannou’s wrestling game. It’s intriguing and exciting to imagine.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports.

Complicated

Of course, it wouldn’t be a potential UFC mega fight without some sort of problem attached to it. Unfortunately for Ngannou, Lesner tested positive for steroids after his last UFC comeback against Mark Hunt and was banned by USADA. However, when he returned to the WWE he left the USADA testing pool.

This means as soon as he signs a UFC contract he still has another six months to serve before he can fight. Of course, the organization will probably appeal this, and with the potential pay-per-view money involved, it’s a sure thing they will. Ngannou isn’t worried anyway.

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