Photo | Francis Ngannou looking monstrous as Stipe Miocic training camp begins

Top contender Francis Ngannou is already jacked ahead of his upcoming rematch with UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

Ngannou gets his long-awaited rematch with Miocic at UFC 260, which is set to take place on March 27. Since losing a unanimous decision to Miocic at UFC 220 in January 2018, Ngannou has won four straight fights by knockout to earn another crack at the title. As for Miocic, he’s coming off of back-to-back wins over Daniel Cormier in their trilogy. It stands to figure that the winner of Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 will be in line to get a super fight with Jon Jones.

This is a huge fight for both men, but especially for Ngannou, who wants to prove to the world that he has what it takes to be a UFC champion. With just over two months to go until the fight, it looks like Ngannou is ready to step into the cage right now. Check out the recent photo he shared on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKE7qNcHR_K/

When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, that is when you’ll be successful. #FridayFocus

Ngannou has always shown up to his fights in great shape, so it’s a regular occurrence to see him with a muscular physique. But seeing him look in this good of shape before his training camp for Miocic has even commenced shows just how serious he’s taking this fight. If Ngannou is looking this good ahead of his camp, one can just imagine the shape he will show up to on Fight Week.

At the same time, some pundits may say the muscle will hurt Ngannou against Miocic, who has a less muscular frame but the best cardio in the division. Ngannou’s cardio and takedown defense failed him in the first fight, and they’ll be put to the test here once again. We’ll see if the extra muscle comes into play in a negative way, but there’s no doubt it helps Francis Ngannou pack a powerful punch. He’s the hardest-hitting fighter in MMA for a reason, after all.