Report: Junior Dos Santos vs. Francis Ngannou bout being targeted for August

According to a report from Ariel Helwani, streaking heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou could return to the Octagon this August against his biggest test yet: former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos. The bout is being targeted for UFC 215, which is scheduled for August 19 in Seattle, Washington.

UFC would like to book Francis Ngannou vs. Junior dos Santos for the yet-to-be announced 8/19 PPV, per sources, but it’s not done yet.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 27, 2017

This bout would mark Ngannou’s opportunity to extend his win-streak to nine. His five most recent wins have occurred in the perilous UFC heavyweight division, where he has defeated Luis Henrique, Curtis Blaydes, Bojan Mihajlović, Anthony Hamilton and former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski – all by way of knockout, TKO or submission. The French-Cameroonian destroyer boasts an impressive overall record of 10-1.

Dos Santos, meanwhile, would enter this bout having recently failed to claim UFC heavyweight gold in the main event of UFC 211, when succumbed to first round punches dealt by champ Stipe Miocic. Prior to this knockout loss, Dos Santos burst back into title contention with a lopsided destruction of the ever-dangerous Ben Rothwell. This win, finally, was preceded by another knockout loss to former Strikeforce king Alistair Overeem. He’s 18-5 overall.

Currently, this fight has not been made official. Here’s hoping that changes in the coming days.

At present, not much else is known about UFC 215, though it is expected to include the possibly history making 11th straight title defense of UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Mighty Mouse is expected to attempt this defense opposite streaking contender Ray Borg, or perhaps former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. Stay tuned for more details on that as they emerge.

Who do you think comes out on top in a Francis Ngannou vs. Junior Dos Santos heavyweight showdown?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/29/2017.