UFC 260 weigh-in: Francis Ngannou shows off fantastic physique ahead of Stipe Miocic rematch

Francis Ngannou has set the MMA community abuzz by showing off his fantastic physique ahead of his UFC 260 (March 27th, 2021) fight against Stipe Miocic.

As displayed in a tweet by ESPN MMA, Francis Ngannou weighed in at 263 pounds for his UFC 260 fight against Stipe Miocic. Ngannou weighed the same for their first fight as well, which took place at UFC 220 in January 2018.

However, certain sections of the MMA community have been speculating as to whether Francis Ngannou seems to have added more lean muscle mass and has less fat than their first fight.

The belief is that even though The Predator weighed in at 263 pounds for both fights, his physique is more well-toned for his upcoming UFC 260 matchup. Fans can view the comparison between his physique from UFC 260 (left) and UFC 220 (right) below.

Earlier today, Francis Ngannou weighed in at 263 pounds for his championship fight against Stipe Miocic at #UFC260, pictured on the left.He also weighed 263 pounds for his first fight with Miocic in 2018, pictured on the right. pic.twitter.com/DHnq1ZD05H

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 26, 2021

Francis Ngannou is known for being in shape all around the year. He’s been praised by many for according the utmost importance to his training routine even when he doesn’t have a fight scheduled.

Ngannou is also known to cut a little bit of weight to make the 265-pound heavyweight limit. The belief is that his weight cut isn’t too strenuous, as in it doesn’t adversely affect his performance, his cardio in particular, inside the octagon.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of MMA fans and experts opine that the path to victory for Stipe Miocic against Francis Ngannou lies in weathering the early storm and then tiring out Ngannou.

On that note, the excess lean muscle mass that Ngannou is carrying this time around, instead of fat, would necessitate more oxygen to function. In simple terms, Ngannou runs the risk of gassing out even quicker than their first fight if he’s unable to manage his energy efficiently.

Francis Ngannou has a near 30-pound weight advantage against Stipe Miocic at UFC 260

Francis Ngannou (left); Stipe Miocic (right)

At the UFC 220 official weigh-ins, Francis Ngannou weighed in at 263 pounds whereas Stipe Miocic weighed in at 246 pounds. Miocic ended up winning that fight via unanimous decision.

On the other hand, at the UFC 260 official weigh-ins, Francis Ngannou once again weighed 263 pounds whereas Stipe Miocic weighed 234 pounds. Francis Ngannou would be enjoying a weight advantage of nearly 30 pounds over Stipe Miocic in their UFC 260 heavyweight title fight.

Although Francis Ngannou’s lean muscle mass gain might pose a risk to his gas tank, it does provide him a strength advantage in the fight. Whether or not he can overcome Miocic’s outstanding wrestling technique and well-rounded MMA skill-set this time around remains to be seen.