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Francis Ngannou defeated interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane to unify the title at UFC 270 on Saturday. The win marked the fifth time 'The Predator' has defeated a former UFC heavyweight champion.
Ngannou's dominance in the heavyweight division is now well-documented. At first, he was known to be a ruthless knockout artist but he has continued to add new facets to his game. He showcased this on Saturday with an astonishing grappling performance that saw him pull out a huge win.
The fight on Saturday was the last on the champion's current UFC contract and so it remains to be seen where he will go from here. Regardless of what his next step is, he has already achieved big and his five wins over other former champions show this.
It will be interesting to see if Ngannou can add to his current tally of five, should he re-sign with the promotion. There are no more active former UFC heavyweight champions but perhaps he could yet face former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
While there is plenty to look forward to for 'The Predator' regardless of what he chooses to do next, let us now look back at what he has already accomplished. Here are five former UFC heavyweight champions Francis Ngannou has defeated:
#5. Ciryl Gane
First on the list is the man he beat on Saturday. Ciryl Gane put on one of the better displays we have ever seen from a man fighting 'The Predator' but given Gane was only ever the interim champion, he came in at fifth.
'Bon Gamin' looked good early in the fight, keeping the champion at bay but admittedly not landing too much himself. To the surprise of everyone, he was overwhelmed by the cameroonian's grappling for the remainder of the fight. While he had his moments in round five, there was little debate over who won.
Despite the Frenchman's loss, he may be the best placed fighter on this list to get his revenge on the 'The Predator' one day. With both fighters clearly at the top of their game, we could easily see several more fights between Gane and Ngannou.
#4. Andrei Arlovski
It is incredible to think that while Francis Ngannou and Andrei Arlovski held the UFC title 15 years apart, the latter is still picking up wins to this day. The two met in 2017 in the midst of a career-worst run for Arlovski, who had lost three straight heading into the bout.
The fight didn't last all that long in truth and was one of the more typical showcases of the freakish power posed by 'The Predator'. He got the win via TKO inside two minutes and earned a performance of the night bonus in the process.
While Arlovski is currently on a two-fight win streak, it is highly unlikely he will get back into title contention at this stage. Instead, the former champion should be appreciated for the entertainment he has provided to his fans with over the years.
#3. Junior dos Santos
Junior dos Santos won the heavyweight championship back in 2011 and continued competing in the UFC until 2020. He faced 'The Predator' in 2019 and in the first of four losing efforts that concluded his decorated run with promotion.
The fight took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was another display of the Cameroonian's knockout power. 'The Predator' secured the TKO victory in just over a minute and, once again, earned himself a performance of the night bonus.
Dos Santos has not fought in the octagon since losing to Ciryl Gane in late 2020. More recently, he could be seen as a part of AEW wrestling as part of a group of fighters from the American Top Team led by the gym's head coach, Dan Lambert.
#2. Cain Velasquez
Francis Ngannou was the last opponent in Cain Velasquez's illustrious MMA career. During his UFC run, Velasquez won the heavyweight championship on two separate occasions and successfully defended the belt twice.
Velasquez faced 'The Predator' in early 2019 and the bout may have been the most one-sided entry on this list. Ngannou knocked out the former champion in just 26 seconds as he took another step on his eventual path to gold. Velasquez came off a two-and-a-half-year absence to compete in the bout.
Since then, like Dos Santos, Velsquez has spent his time competing in professional wrestling. He even had a WWE feud with his old rival Brock Lesnar, although he has since parted ways with the company.
#1. Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic is unique to this list in that he does hold a win over 'The Predator'. The two have fought twice in 2018 and 2021 and with the series currently being tied at 1-1. While Stipe got the win the first time around, the rematch saw Ngannou win and his first UFC championship in the process.
The first fight between the pair saw Miocic outlast his opponent to earn a unanimous decision victory after five rounds. The rematch saw a more patient approach from Ngannou pay off when he landed a big knockout blow in the second round to win the belt.
Given that each man holds one victory over the other and they both remain at the top of the division, we may very well get a trilogy fight. In fact, a third fight could easily be the next UFC heavyweight title fight. That fight would give Ngannou an opportunity to add another big win to his already ridiculous resume.
