Stipe Miocic has the most number of title defenses and title fight wins in heavyweight history. He has beaten legends such as Junior Dos Santos, Daniel Cormier, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, Francis Ngannou, and the list goes on.
He is widely considered the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time. But, somehow he is not always the favorite going into the fight. Despite dominating Francis Ngannou in the first fight he is not the favorite going into the rematch. When asked about him always being overlooked during the UFC 260 press conference, Stipe Miocic stated:
“I am used to it. Vegas hates me. I don’t know. I really have no idea. I am not worried about it. It’s just odds. The odds mean shit to me.”
Even Dana White is shocked with Stipe not being the favorite as he said: “I think Stipe Miocic is making people a lot of money. Everybody who has ever bet on him must love that he is the underdog.”
Francis Ngannou was a big favorite going into the first fight. But, he lost his first title fight in a devastating fashion and this time he is not paying any attention to what the odds say. Ngannou commented:
“Guess what those odds they don’t fight. That doesn’t indicate a fight. I think last time I was the favorite and I lost. So I am not looking to get anything out of that. It doesn’t matter.”
Can Stipe Miocic dominate Francis Ngannou in the rematch?
This rematch can go either way. Though Miocic is a better mixed martial artist Ngannou has the greatest equalizer in the sport. If Ngannou connects clean in the rematch then we might have a new UFC heavyweight champion at UFC 260.
Agreed that Stipe Miocic took the best shot of Ngannou in the first fight and was still able to beat him. But, after watching Ngannou’s first-round KOs in his last four fights it won’t be surprising if he catches Miocic with a devastating punch.
Miocic vs Ngannou 2 prediction, stats & breakdown
That being said, Miocic should get the job done in the rematch. The fight will be different from the first fight but Miocic will take over in the later round and will probably secure a TKO finish.