Francis Ngannou praises Herb Dean for stoppage in Stipe Miocic rematch at UFC 260

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou praised referee Herb Dean for his stoppage in the Stipe Miocic rematch that took place at UFC 260.

Ngannou knocked Miocic down in the second round with a powerful punch that saw the former champ fall to the canvas in a scary fashion as his leg was bent backward. Thankfully, Dean was able to rush in and stop the fight, but not after Ngannou landed a huge hammer fist on his downed opponent that knocked him out cold. Some fans were critical of Dean as they believed that he way late in stopping the fight, but as far as Ngannou goes — the man who knows better than anyone — Dean did a good job.

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Speaking to Mike Tyson on his “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” podcast, Ngannou said that Dean should have received a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his speedy stoppage.

“No, honestly I watched this fight and I saw Herb Dean’s action and I think it should be the ‘Performance of the night. Did you see how fast he ran? He was moving backward, and then after the action, you see how fast he moved in? The guy was on notice. He knew that if Francis touches him, don’t let (Francis) touch him again,” Ngannou said (h/t MiddleEasy).

“I didn’t feel like I hurt him. I was like ‘Why are you falling?’ I (threw the punch) just to counter and he went down and I’m like ‘Okay, what? I don’t know what happened but I have to follow to secure the win.’”

Following the win over Miocic, Ngannou is now the UFC heavyweight champion. His first title defense seems like to come against former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, assuming the promotion is able to come to an agreement on how much money they make for what should be an absolutely phenomenal fight — if it ever happens, that is.

What did you think about the stoppage in the Francis Ngannou vs. Stipe Miocic rematch at UFC 260?