What a PERFORMANCE! Francis Ngannou looked like an evolved fighter in his rematch against Stipe. He looked like a completely different fighter. He may have been the scariest fighter in the UFC prior to this, he became even scarier with this win.
In the fight, Ngannou landed clean shots against Stipe but never knocked him down which was unbelievable. Usually when Ngannou lands a punch, guys go down but not Stipe. The defending champ showed great chin and recovery.
Stipe then chose to change levels and shoot for a takedown. This is where Ngannou showed great improvements, he stuffed the takedown and even took Miocic’s back. He credited Usman for his great wrestling advice. Ngannou clearly won the first round, he landed cleaner punches and even outgrappled his opponent.
Into the second round, Miocic’s corner said to press the action and not wait for Ngannou to throw. Meanwhile, Ngannou’s corner told him to don’t make the same mistake on their first encounter which is to stay composed and not exhaust himself out.
Ngannou then landed a lunging jab that knocked Stipe down. Although the Champ stood up right away, he still looked hurt.
Ngannou then looked for the finish but Stipe landed a counter shot that hit Ngannou clean. Stipe then advanced the action thinking he could knockout Ngannou but that was not the case. Ngannou landed a hook that ended the night.
One of the biggest factor of Ngannou’s success was his composure. His corner always yelled “Relax” since that was his biggest mistake in the first loss. Fortunately, Kamaru Usman who has one of the best composure’s in the game gave him important insights.
Jon Jones even tweeted that if the money is right, he would fight the new heavyweight champion. Everyone wants to see Jones take on a bigger guy but Dana White thinks that Lewis also deserves to fight Ngannou. White also said that if Jones truly wants to fight, he could make it happen.
Show me the money
— BONY (@JonnyBones) March 28, 2021
As for Stipe, he has nothing to prove anymore. He is the consensus greatest heavyweight in UFC history. He could choose to ask for a trilogy but would it be worth it since he is already 38 years old and should think about his future.
