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Francis Ngannou is set to attempt the first defense of his UFC heavyweight title against Derrick Lewis in Houston, most likely on the August pay-per-view card, according to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Lole.
The UFC is yet to make the bout official. Kevin Lole broke the news on his personal Twitter handle and cited UFC president Dana White as the source of the information.
"FWIW, White said Derrick Lewis will fight Francis Ngannou next, and it will be in Houston, LIKELY in August. I'll have full details on my story on @YahooSports," Kevin Lole tweeted.
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (16-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) won the title from former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 via second-round knockout.
Ngannou's first shot at the UFC gold ended in a unanimous decision loss to Miocic back in 2018.
Francis Ngannou's opponent Derrick Lewis (25-7-1NC MMA, 16- UFC) is the No.2 ranked UFC heavyweight. Currently riding a four-fight winning streak, Lewis is coming off a second-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC Vegas 19 in February 2021.
Lewis and Ngannou last competed against each other at UFC 226 pay-per-view event in July 2018. The lackluster bout resulted in Derrick Lewis winning the bout via unanimous decision as all three judges scored two out of three rounds in Lewis's favor.
Francis Ngannou was expected to defend his title against former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in the latter's heavyweight debut in the summer of 2021. Jones vacated the light heavyweight title after almost a decade of domination. However, the UFC and Jon Jones' unresolved dispute over fighter pay paved the way for Lewis to fight for the title.
If Francis Ngannou vs Derrick Lewis 2 takes place in August, as suggested by Kevin Lole, it will most likely headline the UFC 265 pay-per-view event, which will also feature the bantamweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena.
Stipe Miocic will fight the winner of Francis Ngannou vs Derrick Lewis 2
Widely regarded as the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time, former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic holds the record for most consecutive title defenses (three) and most title fight victories (six) in the division's history.
Francis Ngannou stopped Miocic's second title reign violently at UFC 260 in March 2021. However, it is not the end of the story for the former champ.
Jon Jones recently refused to fight any heavyweight that is not the reigning UFC champion, while responding to UFC president Dana White's offer to fight Stipe Miocic. While speaking on The Jake Asman Show on May 15, Dana White stated that the winner of Francis Ngannou vs Derrick Lewis 2 will defend the title against Stipe Miocic, who recently hinted at retiring immediately after reclaiming the heavyweight title.
