Francis Ngannou is open to future rematch with Curtis Blaydes

Curtis Blaydes has looked unstoppable of late, but his rise through the UFC ranks has not been entirely flawless. In his first UFC bout, Blaydes experienced a tough, doctor stoppage loss to Francis Ngannou — and it’s a fight he’s wanted to get back ever since.

“I’m not really a fan of short camps or late notice fights,” Blaydes explained on a recent episode of BJPENN.COM Radio. “I won’t blame my loss to Ngannou on anything besides he was a better man that day, but I do feel I would have been better prepared had I had a full six to eight week camp as opposed to the three weeks I was given.”

The good news for Blaydes is that Francis Ngannou seems to be a-ok with a potential rematch sometime in the near future.

“I would be okay with that,” Ngannou said during a recent media scrum (via MMAMania). “Curtis Blaydes is doing well, he would deserve it. There is nothing to say about this guy, this guy is one of the contenders to keep an eye on. If he wants the rematch, I am open to that.”

First, of course, Francis Ngannou will have to get by the hard-hitting Derrick Lewis, who he’s set to battle at UFC 226 in eight days’ time.

Does a future rematch between Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes interest you? Who do you think would come out on top in this second fight?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/29/2018.