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Francis Ngannou has a title fight in mind next. But if he had to choose a dream opponent in the UFC, there’s one name that comes to his mind.
Ngannou, the UFC’s hottest up-and-coming fighter, told the Top Turtle Podcast this week that he would love to fight Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champion.
“I’d always like to see the match between me and Brock Lesnar,” Ngannou said. “Two big dudes. I like that matchup. I’m excited for that kind of match as a fan. … I want to see that match.”
Ngannou, 31, knocked out Alistair Overeem in the first round last Saturday night at UFC 218 in Detroit. He is all but assured to be fighting Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title next. And that is certainly his focus. But as an MMA fan, the Cameroon native by way of France is very much intrigued about a fight with Lesnar.
And, as you might expect, Ngannou thinks he would do quite well against “The Beast.”
“He’s big,” Ngannou said. “Huge, as you say. But he’s not stronger than me. I’m stronger than him. I’m the best striker in the heavyweight division and the more powerful guy. I’m also a talented guy and I will deal with that very easy.”
A fight with Lesnar, 40, seems like a longshot at this point for Ngannou. Lesnar is currently retired and has to serve out the remaining six-plus months on his USADA doping suspension if he ever un-retires and enters back into the USADA drug-testing pool.
Lesnar is also currently performing as a pro wrestler with WWE and is the promotion’s Universal champion. His contract is reportedly up in the first half of next year, though, and there have been some indications he’d be interested in another Octagon return. The UFC would obviously be interested, considering Lesnar is one of the company’s biggest pay-per-view draws of all time.
Lesnar beat Mark Hunt by unanimous decision at UFC 200 in July 2016, but then tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene and was hit with a one-year suspension by USADA.
For now, Ngannou will keep his attention on Miocic and he said he wants to fight as soon as possible. UFC president Dana White said that could even be as early as UFC 220 on Jan. 20 in Boston.
In that bout, Ngannou says he’s predicting a knockout, because “I always predict KO.”
“If he tries to stand up with me, he will not stand up too long,” Ngannou said. “And I think he will probably try something. He’s a good striker, but he doesn’t know how dangerous I am.”
Ngannou, the UFC’s hottest up-and-coming fighter, told the Top Turtle Podcast this week that he would love to fight Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champion.
“I’d always like to see the match between me and Brock Lesnar,” Ngannou said. “Two big dudes. I like that matchup. I’m excited for that kind of match as a fan. … I want to see that match.”
Ngannou, 31, knocked out Alistair Overeem in the first round last Saturday night at UFC 218 in Detroit. He is all but assured to be fighting Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title next. And that is certainly his focus. But as an MMA fan, the Cameroon native by way of France is very much intrigued about a fight with Lesnar.
And, as you might expect, Ngannou thinks he would do quite well against “The Beast.”
“He’s big,” Ngannou said. “Huge, as you say. But he’s not stronger than me. I’m stronger than him. I’m the best striker in the heavyweight division and the more powerful guy. I’m also a talented guy and I will deal with that very easy.”
A fight with Lesnar, 40, seems like a longshot at this point for Ngannou. Lesnar is currently retired and has to serve out the remaining six-plus months on his USADA doping suspension if he ever un-retires and enters back into the USADA drug-testing pool.
Lesnar is also currently performing as a pro wrestler with WWE and is the promotion’s Universal champion. His contract is reportedly up in the first half of next year, though, and there have been some indications he’d be interested in another Octagon return. The UFC would obviously be interested, considering Lesnar is one of the company’s biggest pay-per-view draws of all time.
Lesnar beat Mark Hunt by unanimous decision at UFC 200 in July 2016, but then tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene and was hit with a one-year suspension by USADA.
For now, Ngannou will keep his attention on Miocic and he said he wants to fight as soon as possible. UFC president Dana White said that could even be as early as UFC 220 on Jan. 20 in Boston.
In that bout, Ngannou says he’s predicting a knockout, because “I always predict KO.”
“If he tries to stand up with me, he will not stand up too long,” Ngannou said. “And I think he will probably try something. He’s a good striker, but he doesn’t know how dangerous I am.”