Francis Ngannou explains how he is a different fighter now from the first time he fought Stipe Miocic

At UFC 260, No. 1 ranked UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou will make his second attempt at capturing the belt against Stipe Miocic. The two combatants previously fought at UFC 220 in 2018 and Stipe Miocic won the bout via a unanimous decision.

Francis Ngannou recently made an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience and talked about his upcoming fight at UFC 260. The Predator described what went wrong in the first meeting with Stipe Miocic. Citing his lack of wrestling credentials, Francis Ngannou believes his defeat was a result of a career filled with first-round knockouts.

Prior to facing Stipe Miocic in 2018, Ngannou held a record of 11-1. All his victories came via knockouts courtesy of his devastating punching power. Francis Ngannou stated that the relentless wrestling pressure from the champion was something that he had never experienced in his career.

“I had two different feelings from that fight. First, obviously, I was very upset and disappointed that I didn’t win the fight. But to be honest, I look at it and now I’m like, ‘This is good.’ I learned too much in that fight because even though I was on the level, fighting for the world title, I still have some missing parts in my game and in my experience," revealed Ngannou.

“I remember I was asking myself, questioning myself like, ‘Okay, how does it look like to go into three rounds?’ Basically, I was going into a potential five rounds and I’ve never been in three rounds, Ngannou added. "How do I prepare for this kind of fight? I had a fight like six weeks earlier so I was having a lot of questions. Then after that fight, I was like, ‘Okay, I get it.’”

Will Francis Ngannou claim the title at UFC 260?

Francis Ngannou has paid his dues since his loss to Miocic in 2018. The Predator went on a ruthless four-fight winning streak in the heavyweight division since UFC 220.

Ngannou claims to have worked on his takedown defense for UFC 260. However, all his recent victories have come via knockouts. Whether the Cameroon native is ready for Miocic's relentless wrestling pressure remains to be seen.

All these questions will be answered come March 27th when Francis Ngannou will seek to get hold of the title against Miocic and even the score with the current heavyweight king.