Let the “swangin and bangin” commence, now that Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis is official for the UFC’s heavyweight championship. The matchup will take place in August and will serve as a rematch between the heavyweight giants.
Ever since Jon Jones announced that he was moving to the heavyweight division, fans wondered how the landscape of the division would play out. After weeks of Jones voicing his financial requirements and woes for a potential bout between himself and Ngannou, UFC President Dana White gave up on making the matchup possible.
Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis Slated for August
In numerous interviews, White expressed his belief that Derrick Lewis should be next in line for the title shot. Now, the fight has basically been made official courtesy of Yahoo Sports.
FWIW, White said Derrick Lewis will fight Francis Ngannou next, and it will be in Houston, LIKELY in August. I'll have full details on my story on @YahooSports
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) May 26, 2021
“FWIW, White said Derrick Lewis will fight Francis Ngannou next, and it will be in Houston, Likely in August,” wrote Kevin Iole.
Lewis vs. Ngannou 1
Lewis defeated Ngannou in their first encounter as the co-main event of UFC 226. Unfortunately, even Derrick admitted that the decision victory felt like a loss because the fight went down in history books as one of the most boring fights in UFC history.
During the 15 minutes, Ngannou threw only 11 strikes, which barely even scraped Lewis’ face. In his title fight against Stipe Miocic, Ngannou was hit more than 200 times to the head in a 25-minute war. Derrick Lewis later confessed he was confused by Ngannou’s performance, and it looked like Francis was afraid to engage.
Hoping for an Exciting Rematch
Maybe the newfound disdain that Lewis has for Francis is what makes him want to knock him out in the first round of their rematch. Derrick shared that he would use his trademark “swangin’ and bangin’” fight technique to put Ngannou out in one game in a previous interview.
Whatever happens, fans will take anything other than the product displayed by the two heavyweights the first time around. Many fans hold the fight in the lowest regard, calling it one of the most boring fights in UFC history.
