Francis Ngannou is getting back into kicking shape.
It has been 11 months since the last time UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou stepped foot inside the UFC Octagon. Following his last title defense against Ciryl Gane in January, he decided to take some time out and recover from a lingering injury. He underwent surgery on his knee and has been working his way back to fighting shape since.
Ngannou took to his social media to share a snippet of his recovery with his fans. In the video, he is shown kicking pads at Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas, NV.
“Slowly getting back into kicking, It feels damn good,” he wrote on Instagram. “Thank you @eric_xcmma for having me.”
Francis Ngannou could be ready to defend his title soon
Although Ngannou explained that he is slowly getting back to shape, the world is patiently waiting for his return to the cage. Surprisingly the UFC has allowed their heavyweight champion to spend the year away from the sport without creating an interim title. They have created interim belts for champions that were to be out far less than Ngannou has been so far.
The most recent development in the UFC heavyweight division is that the UFC is looking to make a title fight between Ngannou and Jon Jones for early next year. If Ngannou is unable to make the proposed date of March 4, then the UFC would like to match up Jones with Curtis Blaydes. This plan is not yet official.
Ngannou has been documenting his journey back to health sporadically on his Instagram but has not specified a possible date of return. Jones has been planning his move to heavyweight for over two years now and although he would like the big-money fight against the champ, he would surely be happy with a less title fight nonetheless. There are some who believe that Blaydes might even be the tougher test for Jones.