The UFC is Targeting Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 For March of 2021

Stipe Miocic recently proved he’s the greatest heavyweight on the planet by defeating Daniel Cormier via unanimous decision. There’s one man in the division that fans believe has what it takes to defeat the champion. News has just broken that the UFC is now targeting Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 for March of next year.

This is the fight everyone wants to see. The UFC has never seen a fighter with the type of explosive knockout power that Francis Ngannou possesses. Today, we’ll take a look at the odds set for this matchup.

Let’s get into it!

Stipe Miocic May be Nearing the End of His MMA Career

Historically speaking, the UFC heavyweight championship is the toughest title to hold onto in the UFC. To date, the belt has never been defended more than three times consecutively. Stipe Miocic has now gained the status of the best heavyweight in UFC history.

Miocic first burst onto the UFC scene back in 2011. He was known as an exciting prospect at that time and quickly won six of his first seven bouts with the promotion. In 2016, Stipe captured the heavyweight championship with a first-round knockout over Fabricio Werdum.

Since then, the champion has lost just once. That came in a fight against Daniel Cormier, another one of the best heavyweights to ever compete in MMA. Despite entering the fight as the favorite by most US sports betting sites, Miocic was knocked unconscious in the first round.

Six months later, Miocic avenged that loss. A year after that, he completed the trilogy with Daniel Cormier with an exciting unanimous decision victory. He’s now 38 years old and is one of the sport’s biggest stars.

It’s safe to assume that Stipe is nearing the end of his MMA career. Before that happens, however, many feel he should take the rematch with Francis Ngannou. This is a fight that almost everyone feels should be next in the division.

Some of the top officials in the UFC are now interested in booking this bout next year.

Reports Confirm the UFC is Interested in Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 in March

Francis Ngannou has been complaining about inactivity for months. He’s only competed once in the past year and is now the clear number-one contender in the division. Ngannou has won four-straight fights via knockout and seems to have fixed the holes in his game that plagued his career a few years ago.

Finally, after months of being left in the dark, the media has been informed that Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 is being targeted for March of 2021. Dana White has hinted at this fight since Miocic last defeated Daniel Cormier. He then confirmed the rumors during an interview with the media today.

“That fight won’t be ready till March,” White said. “… It could (happen). Yeah, that’s the goal. We’ll see what happens.”

Fans are already getting excited. The first time these men fought, both were in very different points in his career. Francis has looked incredible as of late with victories over several former champions. The oddsmakers seem to feel that he will get the win, as well.

BetOnline, one of our team’s favorite US internet MMA betting sites, currently lists Ngannou as the -190 favorite in this matchup. Stipe Miocic is as decorated as a champion can be, yet he enters this rematch as the +165 underdog.

The UFC clearly is showing no signs of slowing down next year. There are several big matchups being targeted to take place over the next six months. With the Miocic-Ngannou rematch now almost confirmed, many are asking what will come next for Jon Jones.

Will This News Affect Jon Jones’ Plans to Move Up in Weight?

There is no doubt that Francis Ngannou is the most deserving fighter to compete for the heavyweight championship next. For a time, though, it seemed as if Jon Jones could be thrown into that spot. Jones is the most dominant champion in UFC history, yet he recently vacated his light-heavyweight belt in order to move up in weight.

A fight between Jones and Miocic would be massive for the sport. Everyone loves to see these kinds of superfights. It now appears that the promotion is more interested in booking Miocic vs. Ngannou 2.

What does this mean for Jon Jones? Some believe he’ll simply wait to see the results of the next heavyweight title fight. It would seem possible that Jon could still be able to fight for this belt before the end of 2021.

It’s also possible that Jon decides to reclaim his light-heavyweight belt. Jan Blachowicz recently won the title in a big upset over Dominick Reyes. Jones even hinted that he may return to 205 pounds on his Twitter account.

The final option would be to challenge the current middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. Jon has been pushing for this bout for months and both seem interested. This fight may even be bigger than the one between Jones and Miocic.

The sport of MMA is in an interesting position right now. Are you excited to see Miocic vs. Ngannou? Let us know in the comments section below!