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Francis Ngannou is widely regarded as one of the all-time-great UFC heavyweight athletes. Ngannou, who’s currently heralded amongst the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters, has revisited an old video of himself trying his hand at other sports.
‘The Predator’ posted a video wherein he’s seen showcasing his basketball and football skills. The video was shot during the leadup to his all-important rematch against then-UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in March 2021. Taking to Instagram, Ngannou posted the throwback video along with the following statement:
“Working on my basketball and football skills before fighting for the belt at ufc 260 😂 @lethalshooter how’s my form? #throwbackthursday”
Watch Ngannou’s Instagram video below:
Their first fight witnessed Miocic out-grapple and craftily defeat Ngannou via unanimous decision, defending the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 220 in January 2018. Ngannou eventually worked his way back to a title shot and faced Miocic in a rematch last March.
The second fight was vastly different as Ngannou dominated Miocic and beat him via a second-round KO to capture the UFC heavyweight title. Ngannou’s most recent fight was a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane in their UFC heavyweight title unification matchup at UFC 270 in January 2022.
Francis Ngannou on his highly-anticipated UFC return
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has consistently maintained that he’d love to re-sign with the UFC. However, his return demands a pay raise and that he'd be allowed to compete in the sport of boxing too.
Over the past several months, Ngannou has been relentlessly pursuing his much-discussed hybrid-rules matchup with boxing great Tyson Fury. Nonetheless, Fury recently hinted that their dream matchup is unlikely to materialize.
Many believe that Francis Ngannou will reach an agreement with the UFC. The consensus is that his next combat sports contest will be an MMA bout under the UFC banner and not a potential clash against Fury.
Francis Ngannou underwent knee surgery earlier this year and has been out of action ever since. In Ngannou’s absence, it’s been speculated that the UFC could book an interim heavyweight title matchup between Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones this year.
Speaking to TMZ Sports last month, Ngannou indicated that he doesn’t have a specific opponent in mind for his comeback. Furthermore, he added that the UFC landscape could be quite different when he returns from his injury hiatus, most probably in early 2023. Ngannou said:
"If everything goes well, I'll be ready by the end of the year because it's gonna be nine months [so] let's say late December or early next year."
Watch Ngannou’s interview below:
