Derrick Lewis says he will KO Francis Ngannou in the “first exchange”

Derrick Lewis believes he will beat Francis Ngannou again, but this time will do it in a more dramatic fashion.

Lewis and Ngannou first met in the co-main event of UFC 226. It was a highly anticipated heavyweight scrap as they are to KO artists. However, the fight was a lackluster one as Lewis was dealing with a bad back and Ngannou was coming off being dominated by Stipe Miocic so his confidence wasn’t there. It resulted in the two barely throwing any punches and Lewis edging out a boring decision.

Since then, both men have gone back to their usual fighting style of knocking people out. They are also expected to rematch in Ngannou’s first title defense and Lewis believes when they fight, he will finish him in the first exchange.

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“It’s gonna be a fun fight. We both learned a lot from that. We both improved since that fight, so it’s gonna have to be a fun fight,” Lewis said to  ESPN. “Too many rounds are gonna be involved in this fight. It’s gonna be five rounds, so it’s not gonna be five rounds of snooze fest. It’s gonna be five rounds of swinging and banging, so it’s gonna be interesting to see. I’m excited for it.

“I will say the first exchange, I’ll knock him out in the first exchange. I almost knocked out Curtis in the first exchange, too, but he got on that bike and he took off running,” Lewis continued. “I feel that in my heart, especially if he comes out the way he’s been coming out to all his other guys, especially the way he came out against Rozenstruik. If he tries to come out and fight me the same way, then I’ll knock him out for sure.”

Derrick Lewis certainly has the power to KO Ngannou with one punch. However, the champ has shown off a good chin so it will be interesting to see if Lewis can put him away.

Do you think Derrick Lewis will KO Francis Ngannou in the first exchange?