5 biggest takeaways from UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou's title shot, 'Joey Two Times' and more
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 3 in Minneapolis? Here’s a few post-fight musings …
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1. Francis Ngannou is truly title-ready this time
You won’t convince me that Francis Ngannou was rushed into his first UFC title fight, but there’s definitely a different vibe around the heavyweight terror as he likely firmed up a second crack at the belt with a 71-second destruction of Junior Dos Santos.
Ngannou’s initial title shot came after that unforgettable knockout of Alistair Overeem in Detroit. “The Predator” felt untouchable at that time, but then he stepped in the octagon with then-champ Stipe Miocic and had many elements of his game exposed in the biggest moment of his career.
Although Ngannou has just over two minutes of total cage time in his three contests since, it’s clear he has a much better awareness of what needs to be done to win these fights. Will that be enough to dethrone Daniel Cormier or beat Miocic in a rematch? Maybe not, but Ngannou is as ready as he’ll ever be. it seems. If he wants that UFC title, he’ll have to go through one of the greatest heavyweights ever to get it.