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Francis Ngannou is in a position that few other fighters on the UFC roster have been in. UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic is considered to be the only man to have gotten one over Francis Ngannou, with the Cameroonian's defeat to Derrick Lewis being forgotten about due to the circumstances of the fight.
Since his two back-to-back losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis in 2018, Francis Ngannou has gone on a tear - defeating Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik all in the first round.
As a result, Francis Ngannou has essentially cleared out the Heavyweight division minus Stipe Miocic - who most recently concluded his trilogy against Daniel Cormier by scoring a unanimous decision victory to retain the Heavyweight title.
Dana White has made it clear that Francis Ngannou is the #1 contender, and given how he has defeated his last four opponents, there's no actual dispute about that. However, the waiting game has been tough on Francis Ngannou, who recently appeared on Morning Kombat (H/T BJPENN.com). When asked about a potential fight against Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson, the #1 Heavyweight contender expressed his interest in welcoming him back to the Octagon:
“Yeah, I would be very interested in that fight,” Ngannou said. “Rumble Johnson is a guy that I respect a lot. I know him as a person, and I admire him as a person. It would be great to share the Octagon with him, no matter if it’s for the title or not.
Francis Nannou stated that he has goals beyond 'Rumble' Johnson but stated that he would be honored to fight him:
“Even beyond Rumble Johnson I still have some dreams and some aspirations,” Ngannou continued. “But I have stay focused and realistic, and deal with the situation right now. Obviously that question has popped up before, and I would be down for that fight. It would such a great fight, and it would be such an honor to fight Rumble Johnson.”
Will Anthony Johnson return to face Francis Ngannou?
When posed with the question about his return to the Octagon and a move up to Heavyweight, Anthony Johnson stated that he would only return for a fight that made sense and confirmed that he would be interested in facing Francis Ngannou.
For now, Francis Ngannou is expected to face Stipe Miocic in the first quarter of 2021, and it's another big opportunity to claim the Heavyweight gold. Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson would slot into the Heavyweight division if he were to return, but unlike Jon Jones, there is no guarantee that he would get an immediate title shot.
