Francis Ngannou News

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 2, 2019

UFC color commentator Joe Rogan was paying attention to the UFC Minneapolis main event. Taking center stage this past Saturday night (June 29) was a heavyweight tilt between Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos. Fresh off a 26-second knockout win over Cain Velasquez, “The Predator” hoped to make short work of another former UFC heavyweight champion. He did just that, scoring a TKO victory over dos Santos just 11 seconds past the first minute.

Tom Taylor - July 1, 2019

Before his heavyweight title shot against Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou was regarded as a near unstoppable force in the Octagon. After the world watched him get walloped by the Miocic for five rounds, however, that perception changed. Suddenly, he looked like a flawed, inexperienced fighter that anybody with the right gameplan could beat. When Ngannou followed this loss up with an utterly forgettable decision loss to Derrick Lewis, fans began to question his mental game too. In the span of a few months, he’d devolved from a juggernaut to a flash in the pan. Hope for his future as a world-class heavyweight was all but gone.

Cole Shelton - June 30, 2019

On Saturday night, the Octagon returned to ESPN with UFC Minneapolis. In the main event of this card, Francis Ngannou took on Junior dos Santos in a pivotal heavyweight contender bout. The fight did not last long. Ngannou dropped dos Santos and finished him with strikes just 71 seconds into the fight. Now, Francis Ngannou could very well get another title shot, while for the former champion dos Santos, it is a step back in what appeared to be a resurgence in his career.

Chris Taylor - June 29, 2019

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou extended his current win streak to three in a row this evening, earning a first round knockout victory over Junior dos Santos. ‘The Predator‘ needed just 71-seconds to dismantle the former heavyweight kingpin, thus reasserting himself as the top contender in the division.

Chris Taylor - June 29, 2019

A key heavyweight bout featuring former division champion Junior dos Santos taking on dangerous knockout artist Francis Ngannou headlined tonight’s UFC Minneapolis event. Junior dos Santos (21-5 MMA) entered tonight’s contest on a three-fight winning streak, his latest being a second round TKO victory over Derrick Lewis at March’s UFC Wichita event.

Chris Taylor - June 29, 2019

A heavyweight showdown between dangerous knockout artists Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos headlines tonight’s UFC Minneapolis event. The twelve bout fight card, which takes place live from the Target Center, also features a key flyweight contest between perennial division contenders Joseph Benavidez and Jussier Formiga.

Cole Shelton - June 28, 2019

Junior dos Santos is set to take on Francis Ngannou in the main event of UFC Minneapolis. The expectation is that the winner will fight for the heavyweight title next. According to American Top Team owner, Dan Lambert, this is a tough fight for dos Santos, but he says no one should count out the former heavyweight champion.

Tom Taylor - June 28, 2019

Junior dos Santos is going to have his hands full in the UFC Minneapolis main event, where he will take on arguably the hardest puncher in MMA history in Francis Ngannou. He knows full well how dangerous the task at hand is. “Ngannou is a really strong guy, has heavy hands,” dos Santos told MMA Fighting recently. “I think it’s no exaggeration to say he’s the most dangerous man in MMA today. A punch that connects, even if it only grazes, will knock you out. He’s a dangerous guy and I’m getting ready for that. I know his potential, the danger he offers in the fight, but that’s the type of challenge that excites me.

Cole Shelton - June 27, 2019

The Octagon returns to Minnesota this Saturday for UFC Minneapolis. In the main event of the card, Francis Ngannou is taking on Junior dos Santos in a pivotal heavyweight clash. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. In this case, a few believe Ngannou will be able to knock out dos Santos, while the rest think the Brazilian will use his wrestling and experience to win this fight.

Tom Taylor - June 27, 2019

This weekend, in the main event of UFC Minneapolis, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will step into the cage with fearsome puncher Francis Ngannou in a perceived number one contender fight. While dos Santos is determined to reclaim the heavyweight title, he says he does not intend to wait around if a title shot doesn’t materialize promptly after if he beats Ngannou.

Mike Heck - June 26, 2019

When you look at the UFC Minneapolis headliner between Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos on paper, most would agree that the meat and potatoes of the bout will take place on the feet. However, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu credentials of dos Santos have been called into question by his opponent this weekend. While speaking to the media in a scrum earlier this month, Ngannou had some things to say about the validity of dos Santos’ black belt in BJJ.

Tom Taylor - June 24, 2019

Long before Francis Ngannou became one of the most feared contenders in the UFC heavyweight division, he was dreaming of a career as a professional boxer. While he’s currently focused on his MMA career, it sounds as though he hasn’t given up on his dreams of competing in the boxing ring.

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

UFC commentator Joe Rogan loves to discuss potential fights between boxers and mixed martial artists. He did it mere weeks ago, when he drooled over a matchup between WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder and UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou. And now, he’s done it again, this time riffing on a fight between Ngannou and new unified heavyweight champ Andy Ruiz Jr.

Tom Taylor - May 28, 2019

UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou and and WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder compete in different sports, but UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes they’re bound by one key similarity: They both hit absurdly hard.

Tom Taylor - May 21, 2019

The upcoming UFC Minneapolis card, scheduled for June 29, will now be topped by an Octagon-shaking heavyweight showdown between former title challenger Francis Ngannou and former champion Junior dos Santos. The card was originally expected to be headlined by a rematch between former welterweight champions Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley, but this plan was nixed when the former sustained a hand injury and was forced out of the matchup.

Tom Taylor - April 26, 2019

At UFC 239, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will collide with one of the few heavyweight punchers with power to rival his own: Francis Ngannou. Speaking to Helen Yee recently, the former heavyweight champion made a bold prediction for this fight with the ferocious puncher Ngannou. He expects to knock out the hulking Cameroon-born Frenchman in the second round.

Chris Taylor - April 6, 2019

Javier Mendez, the longtime coach of Cain Velasquez, is claiming that an illegal shot from Francis Ngannou was missed at UFC on ESPN 1. Velasquez and Ngannou squared off in the headliner of February’s UFC event in Phoenix, with “The Predator” emerging victorious by way of first round knockout.

Drake Riggs - March 29, 2019

UFC 215 took place in September 2017 and featured a single heavyweight bout. However, that wasn’t the original plan. The night’s co-main event was former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos making his second appearance in the division against Neil Magny. The main event saw Amanda Nunes defeat Valentina Shevchenko for the second time to defend her title.