Francis Ngannou calls for rematch with Stipe Miocic

UFC 241’s main event saw the former heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic rematch Daniel Cormier and reclaim the heavyweight belt. Many heavyweight fighters will now be pushing for the next title shot against the Croatian-American champion and that includes heavy hitter, Francis Ngannou.

During an episode on the Ariel Helwani podcast on Monday, the Cameroonian-French fighter revealed he is itching for a rematch against Miocic.

“I think I should fight the winner of DC and Stipe: whoever won the fight,” Ngannou said. “I think Stipe, is a good thing for me to have my rematch at the same time as a title shot.”

“I think I’m in the spot now that I deserve the title shot,” he added.

Ngannou has gained a reputation for his unbelievable knock out power. In his last three fights, he achieved three consecutive wins by first-round KO. However, his heavy hands were not enough to defeat Miocic when they first went head-to-head at UFC 220 in early 2018. Miocic was able to out-grapple and out-fight Ngannou and retain his title by unanimous decision.

Francis Ngannou isn’t sure what the UFC is planning for Stipe Miocic, but hopes this rematch is booked next.

“I don’t know exactly what is happening for the UFC executives. I don’t know what their mindset is,” said Ngannou. “They are not really clear on the answer of me deserving a title shot or me fighting next or not. I don’t understand why it’s not clear for them. It’s a very frustrating situation right now.”

Miocic’s next fight could be a Cormier trilogy, Ngannou rematch, or even a Jon Jones bout. When asked about the fellow competition, Ngannou responded:

“Because I think I’m next in line, it should be me,” he said. “Yes, I would be upset about that.”

Will he get an opportunity to rematch Stipe Miocic? Time will tell. At least, in the meantime, he can make a name for himself on the big screen.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/20/2019.