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UFC 260: Miocic vs NGAnnou 2 is just one week away. MMA community's opinion on the much-anticipated title fight rematch between heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and No.1 ranked Francis NGannou is straight-forward. Most predict the fight to go in two possible directions: Either Stipe repeats his performance in the first fight and beats NGannou in a lopsided prolonged battle or NGannou knocks Stipe out at any given moment within the blink of an eye.
All things considered, the fight will most likely play out in a far different manner on the virtue of the learnings from the first fight between the pair that took place at UFC 220 in February 2018.
Both fighters will enter the UFC octagon at UFC 260: Miocic vs NGannou 2 with the knowledge of having fought each other previously. The necessary adjustments from either party will give us a potential fight of the year contender.
Here are three reasons why Miocic vs NGannou 2 will be the fight of the year contender for 2021.
Miocic vs NGannou 2 will have Kamaru Usman in the Predator's corner
Stipe Miocic took Francis NGannou down six times in the first fight and managed to exhaust the stronger opponent. However, Stipe may not be able to repeat the dominance on the ground as UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will corner Francis NGannou in the rematch. Usman is known for his dominant wrestling game.
In the absence of a crowd, NGannou will be able to execute his corner's instructions better to get out of tricky positions and keep the fight standing where lies his best chance of walking away with a win.
Francis NGannou knows he can't go headhunting with Stipe Miocic
A common thread between most of Francis NGannou's fights is that when he connects, people go to sleep, Stipe Miocic notwithstanding. Miocic is the only fighter that managed to evade NGannou's power for 25 full minutes and emerged victorious at the end of it.
Francis NGannou learned that lesson. He will not try to knock Stipe out with each shot in the rematch. Expect Miocic vs NGannou 2 to witness a Francis NGannou that takes a more measured approach in his striking and make the stand-up battle a lot more competitive than their first meeting.
Extinguishing Francis NGannou's title dream is a new feather in Stipe Miocic's cap
Stipe Miocic has already established himself as the greatest UFC heavyweight. However, holding two wins over Francis NGannou will be another huge achievement for Miocic which could put an end to the former's title aspirations. The stakes at the rematch are much higher for Francis NGannou to let the fight slip out of hand. Francis NGannou and Stipe Miocic will have the necessary motivation to fight the best fight of their lives and put it on a show for the audiences. Miocic vs NGannou 2 will be one of the most entertaining fights of 2021.
