- Francis Ngannou has undergone successful knee surgery
- Jon Jones could compete for interim heavyweight title if Ngannou will be out for a while
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou finally underwent surgery to repair a torn MCL and damaged ACL on his knee. Doctors required Ngannou to have his knee repaired following his victorious title defense win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
The Cameroonian fighter was aware that he had issues with his knee weeks before the fight and has told reporters that he sustained a Grade 3 MCL tear and ACL damage. Despite his condition, “The Predator” still managed to beat Gane and relied on his underrated grappling game.
The heavyweight King is fine
Shortly after his surgery, Ngannou let his fans know that everything went well and he is now in good spirits. The heavyweight king revealed that there was “no meniscus damage” and he is now about to begin rehabilitation.
“Knee surgery went very well today (ACL reconstruction and MCL repare). PS: no meniscus damage Thank you to Dr. Alattrache and staff for taking great care of me,” Ngannou wrote on Instagram. “Rehab time to get everything back to normal and get back on track. Sincerely, THE KING.”
UFC opens the door for Jon Jones
With Ngannou out of the picture for an indefinite period of time, UFC president Dana White could be prompted to green light an interim title fight for the heavyweight division.
According to White, should the reigning champion winds up being sidelined for a year, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones could come in and compete for the interim belt.
“I haven’t thought about it at all, but yeah, it sounds like something we would do,” White said in a recent interview with ESPN. “Not until we know what Francis is gonna do or what’s gonna happen, but if that’s the case, if he ends up sitting out for a year, Jon [Jones] could come right in and fight for a title.”
It is yet to be determined how long Ngannou will be out and if Jones could fight for the interim title. However, it is undeniably interesting to know if the pair is really destined to cross paths inside the octagon.
