Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou Rematch to Headling UFC 260 on March 27th

The rematch between UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and no. 1 contender Francis Ngannou has been set to headline UFC 260 on March 27th at a still to be determined location.

Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou set to headline UFC 260 on March 27, per @arielhelwani pic.twitter.com/GjX3WlU8A1

— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) January 24, 2021

The bout was announced first by ESPN with multiple sources confirming the news to MMAFighting.

This will mark Miocic’s first title defense since completing a trilogy with Daniel Cormier which saw the Ohio firefighter losing to DC in the first meeting before beating Cormier in back to back fights.

Craft Over Power

Miocic solidified his claim as the greatest heavyweight champion of all-time when he dominated Ngannou in their first meeting at UFC 220 back in 2018. The champion used craft to overcome Miocic’s otherworldly punching power, thus putting a halt to the Predator’s destructive trail in the UFC.

.@JackSlackMMA on UFC 220: Stipe Miocic overcomes power with craft https://t.co/Vi6EjA1fl5 pic.twitter.com/CBdW84ioC1

— VICE Sports (@VICESports) January 22, 2018

The Cleveland native attempted 14 takedowns and completed six while landing 28 of 37 ground strikes and controlling the challenger helpless on the mat for 15 solid minutes. Miocic also connected on 16 of 17 leg strikes to slow down the marching Ngannou and was successful in avoiding a fatal phone booth war. In the end, Miocic retained his title via a wide decision.

Since that loss though, Ngannou has rebuilt his stock. The Predator has won four consecutive bouts, all by knockout with no opponent making it past the 90-second mark of the fight. During that run, Ngannou has taken out a pair of former champions in Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez while also stopping new contenders Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. With his latest tear, Ngannou earned another crack at Miocic.

Miocic Slight Underdog Again

But while Miocic decisively beat Ngannou the first time around, he is still the slight betting underdog in the just finalized rematch at +140 after being pegged at +150 when the lines first opened. Meanwhile, Ngannou is currently listed as the -160 odds on favorite at online sportsbook BetOnline after opening at $175. This means that bettors need to place a $160 wager to win $100 on Ngannou. Conversely, a $100 bet on Miocic will yield $140 for his backers.

Here are the opening odds for Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2:

Stipe Miocic +150 (3/2)

Francis Ngannou -175 (4/7)

(odds via @betonline_ag) #UFC260 pic.twitter.com/ziNUXvENov

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) January 17, 2021

Given that Ngannou needs to land just one punch to cash in, it’s not surprising to see why sportsbooks have given him the implied probability of 61.5% to become the next champion. On the other hand, giving Miocic a mere 41.7% implied probability means that he is a live dog and that he can beat Ngannou again. How the story unfolds though, makes this heavily anticipated heavyweight rematch more interesting.

A win by Ngannou could easily lead to a trilogy bout. However, if Ngannou fails to beat Miocic again, he may have to wait much longer to get another crack. With the likes of Curtis Blaydes, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Cyril Gane, and even Derrick Lewis waiting to get a crack at the belt, this is a must-win for the Predator. And with UFC President Dana White recently hinting that Jon Jones gets the first crack at the winner of this match, there’s a lot of pressure on Ngannou to deliver.

Jon Jones to Get Next Title Shot

At the start of the year, SportsBetting.ag opened a betting market for which fighter will hold the heavyweight at the end of the calendar year and according to the bookmaker, Ngannou is the +150 frontrunner to be that guy. Miocic came in second at +275 while Jon Jones came in a close third at +375.

✅ Miocic v Ngannou 2

✅ Jon Jones to face the winner

The boss Dana White maps out @JonnyBones‘ eagerly-anticipated heavyweight debut 💪

Watch the full interview on YouTube 👉 https://t.co/jsbvojxEJY pic.twitter.com/BO1Am0ZD8V

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) January 21, 2021

In a recent interview with BTSport, UFC President Dana White says that Jon Jones’ eagerly-anticipated UFC debut will be a title shot against the winner of Miocic vs Ngannou 2. It can be recalled that Jone vacated the light heavyweight title last year to prepare for his long-awaited move to the heavyweight division.

The UFC’s light heavyweight division had been stuck in mud in the last couple of years with Miocic and former champion Daniel Cormier fighting each other in three straight UFC heavyweight title fights. But the UFC heavyweight division looks to get more exciting with the addition of Jones and the arrival of contenders like Blaydes, Rozenstruik, and Gane.