Francis Ngannou

Welcome back to TGIFighting, where we talk to top fighters, preview the weekend's combat sports action and make crotchety observations about the combat sports news of the day. Ready? Let's proceed.

                     

From now through next January, the UFC has scheduled no fewer than seven title fights.

It's natural to take stock before dropping into such wild rapids, and thus it seems like the right time to ask: Which title picture among the UFC's 12 weight classes is currently the most competitive?

Let's sort through them, shall we?

There are a few we can rule out off the top. Three of the UFC's four women's weight classes are ruled by two iron-fisted fighters: Valentina Shevchenko (22-3) at flyweight and Amanda Nunes (21-4) at bantamweight and featherweight. These are dominant champions and charismatic competitors, but that doesn't translate to a lot of intrigue in their respective divisions (quite the opposite, actually).

The same problem exists at men's welterweight, as current champ and consensus pound-for-pound kingpin Kamaru Usman (19-1) is now cycling back through the same list of challengers he's already dominated.

The fourth women's division, strawweight, is looking a little top-heavy at the moment. In November at UFC 268, champ Rose Namajunas (11-4) will rematch Zhang Weili (21-2), who held the belt until Namajunas took it in April. Immediately below them on the division's official UFC rankings is Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-4), who has already lost once to Weili and twice to Namajunas—and, to the chagrin of her colleagues, hasn't competed in more than a year. Former champ Carla Esparza (19-6) is also in the mix with a five-fight win streak, but that came against lower levels of competition. Ergo, not a lot going on outside the top two here, though it is still easily the most compelling women's division.

More Marina Rodriguez on Joanna Jedrzejczyk: "The problem is she's holding a very important spot in the rankings, and there's so many girls there fighting twice a year, three times a year trying to get to that, and that spot is locked." #UFCVegas39

— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) October 9, 2021

Back on the men's side, we can rule out light heavyweight, which, with apologies to champ Jan Blachowicz (28-8), doesn't posses a ton of transcendent talent or star power. The truth is that, for all Jon Jones' (26-1 [1 NC]) flirtations with heavyweight and persistent legal and personal problems—and seriously, how sad was it to see him cast out by the braintrust at Jackson-Wink? Those two made each other—his absence casts a long shadow over the division he ruled for nearly a decade without ever losing.

Heavyweight has a bona fide star in Francis Ngannou (16-3), but there's a triangle at the top with Ciryl Gane (10-0) and Stipe Miocic (20-4), two great fighters who haven't permeated the national sports consciousness.

Men's flyweight is a two-man race with champ Brandon Moreno (19-5-2) and Deiveson Figueiredo (20-2-1), who are scheduled for a trilogy fight in January at UFC 270. Askar Askarov (13-0-1) is intriguing—he retired Joseph Benavidez (28-8) in March—but hasn't done enough yet to break into the title conversation. The UFC might want to make a fight for Askarov soon if it wants to maintain his momentum. 

Middleweight is fun, but unless Robert Whittaker (23-5) can pull the upset in their inevitable-but-still-technically-unofficial rematch next year, Israel Adesanya (21-1) will continue to control this division. After these two, you're quickly left with the Jared Cannoniers (14-5) of the world.

Men's bantamweight is a terrific division, no two ways about it. With Rob Font (19-4) and Jose Aldo (30-7) circling the periphery, you have a rock-solid core of Petr Yan (15-2), TJ Dillashaw (17-4), Cory Sandhagen (14-3) and Aljamain Sterling (20-3). That's a murder's row right there. Yan and Sandhagen vie for the interim title October 30.

Now consider this: the interim belt is only in place because the lineal champ, Sterling, remains out as he continues to recover from neck surgery. Dillashaw, one of the best bantamweights ever, sits on the shelf with a knee injury—and before that missed two years with a drug suspension. These injuries muddy the waters, not only depriving us of great fights but preventing us from properly sorting out the title picture. Sorry, bantamweights. Close but no cigar.

Now we get to men's featherweight and lightweight. That's right: it's a two-horse race to determine the UFC's top division.

At featherweight, champ Alexander Volkanovski (23-1) may be the best fighter in the world this side of Usman. Most recently, he dispatched top contender Brian Ortega (15-2 [1 NC]) in a Fight of the Year candidate. If Yair Rodriguez (13-2 [1 NC]) can beat Max Holloway (22-6) in November, he'll be an exciting new presence on the contender scene. But that's a big if, as injuries and a failed drug test have kept him away from competition for two years.

The Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung (17-6) is a respected action fighter, and while he's more well-rounded than people give him credit for, he looked a step behind when he lost to Ortega last year. The top five is rounded out by Calvin Kattar (22-5), a legitimately good fighter who has struggled to beat top competition, most recently in a lopsided and rather bloody decision loss to Holloway. 

That leaves the lightweights. In a way, the retirement of lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) and the back-burnering of Conor McGregor (22-6) were the best things to happen to this division in some time. Nurmagomedov had a near-literal stranglehold on the division. Now it's anyone's game, and in this case that's a very good thing, because lightweight is chock full of killers, both established veterans and those hungry to make a name for themselves in the history books.

We'll take a deeper dive in a second, but these stats may tell you all you need to know: at featherweight, the champion and top five contenders have a combined UFC record of 56-15 and 2 NC, with 36 post-fight bonuses. The lightweights have a combined record of 69-22-1 with 45 bonuses. This indicates that the lightweight stable is deeper, more experienced and more exciting than its featherweight counterpart. 

Brand-new lightweight champ Charles Oliveira (31-8 [1 NC]) is an absolute joy to watch, a fight fan's fighter. Despite being only 31 years old, he holds the UFC record for submission wins with 14. But he's not infallible, especially not at this level, and especially given his history of mental lapses. That makes for a more wide-open field.

The wildly popular Dustin Poirier (28-6 [1 NC]), who in December will challenge Oliveira for the belt at UFC 269, could be in prime position to earn his first lineal title. After Poirier comes the ultra-violent Justin Gaethje (22-3), a well-rounded high-IQ fighter in Beneil Dariush (21-4-1), longtime Bellator champ Michael Chandler (22-6), and Islam Makhachev (20-1), who has been labeled the next Nurmagomedov by more than one observer (raises hand). 

Another advantage at 155 pounds compared with 145: these guys are all new to each other.

With the exception of Chandler, Oliveira has never faced any of the five fighters below him. Gaethje and Poirier have only faced each other. Dariush and Makhachev are entirely new to this level of the game. So there's plenty we don't know about this title picture. That means lots of fresh matchups and storylines.

By contrast, at featherweight Volkanovski has already beaten Ortega once and Holloway twice. The latter is particularly problematic, given that Holloway is the No. 1 contender. Ortega, sitting at No. 2, has already faced Volkanovski, Holloway and Zombie. Not a massive bottleneck, but a bottleneck nonetheless.

One final piece of evidence for the lightweights: When McGregor, the former dual-division champ and the most famous fighter in the world, sits at No. 9 on your rankings, you know you're fighting in a deep bracket.

There are stories to tell in every division, but if you're looking for the one with the most intrigue as the UFC embarks on a critical stretch for its marquee fighters, lightweight is at the top of the heap.

                 

Masvidal-Edwards Finally Set

Three-piece and a soda? On December 11, you're going to want to add a jumbo tub of popcorn to the mix.

That's when welterweights Jorge Masvidal (35-15) and Leon Edwards (19-3 [1 NC]) will square off at UFC 269. 

Grudge matches don't come much grudgier than this. It's been simmering on the stove for two years now, ever since the two fighters and their camps came to blows backstage at UFC Fight Night 147. It was after that even that Masvidal made his infamous fried chicken comment, which became so popular Masvidal started printing T-shirts. 

It's an intriguing scrap as well, with both men more than capable of finding a stoppage. It's unlikely, however, that this one hits the ground, or ends with anything other than one man going out on his shield. 

                  

Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock of the Week

Record to date: 19-6

UFC Fight Night 195 goes down this weekend from Las Vegas, but, dude: This is not a good card. The main event is downright uncomfortable, with Aspen Ladd (9-1) trying her hand up at featherweight just two weeks after a scary weigh-in 10 pounds lighter. She'll do this against a total unknown in Norma Dumont (6-1) after Holly Holm (14-5) had to withdraw because of injury.

And that about sums it up. 

Luckily, all us conservative bettors have Bellator 268, also going down Saturday. Bet the house on perennially overlooked light heavyweight champ Vadim Nemkov (14-3), who is facing someone named Julius Anglickas (10-1), whose twin claims to fame are competing on Dana White's Contender Series and being in really good shape.

This is the evening's main event, and doubles as the second semifinal match of the promotion's Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. Nemkov won't pay off much, sitting at a -510 favorite over Anglickas, per DraftKings, but there's nothing wrong with a little easy money, even if it's not likely to put your kids through college. If nothing else, you'll get to see a great fighter in Nemkov do his thing. Lock it in and collect the W. 

Welcome back to TGIFighting, where we talk to top fighters, preview the weekend’s combat sports action and make crotchety observations about the combat sports news of the day. Ready? Let’s proceed.

Mackenzie Dern's massive potential was evident right out of the gate. On Saturday at UFC Fight Night 194, she will take another step in converting that potential to something more kinetic.

When Dern steps in against Marina Rodriguez (14-1-2) for her first-ever UFC main event, she'll be looking to advance her pro MMA record to 12-1 and, if she impresses enough onlookers, tee up a title bout with the winner in November's bout between Zhang Weili (21-2) and champ Rose Namajuanas (11-4).

Dern will also be poised to set a new record for most submission victories for a female competitor in UFC history. She's tied with Gillian Robertson with four.

There's no question Dern is good, but we didn't need MMA or the UFC to tell us that. She was great way before she ever donned a pair of gloves, back when she was molly-whopping other BJJ grapplers en route to a slew of world titles. Cutting her teeth on jiu-jitsu mats under the watchful eye of father and BJJ legend Wellington "Megaton" Dias will have that benefit.

But her path to her first UFC main event hasn't been linear, or terribly efficient, or free of controversy.

Her striking has gotten better, but that's on a relative scale. Her standup was about as herky-jerky as a UFC fighter's could be. A 2018 split-decision win over Ashley Yoder (8-8) was razor close and prompted calls that Dern won more on celebrity factor than actual fighting.

Another red flag came later that year when Dern was "invited to leave" the well-regarded MMA Lab gym in Arizona. Head coach John Crouch said she was "struggling" to make it to camp.

And this is to say nothing of The Accent Thing.

A few months after her MMA Lab departure, Dern announced she would put her MMA career on hold because she and professional surfer Wesley Santos were expecting their first child.

In a first-person piece published in Women's Health (h/t Yahoo Sports), Dern wrote:

"The pregnancy was such a surprise and such a blessing, but when I announced it in February 2019, I lost 50,000 followers on Instagram instantly. Obviously, there were people following me who were just thinking, 'Oh, she's a hot girl that fights.' And the assumption is that if you get pregnant, you're not coming back—or if you do, you're going to be soft inside."

Take all of this together and it wasn't hard to imagine Dern settling into the cushy life of a social media influencer, which is certainly easier than cage fighting.

But that didn't happen.

A scant four months after giving birth to daughter Moa, Dern was back in the cage. It might have been too much too soon, as she suffered the first loss of her MMA career with a unanimous decision to Amanda Ribas (10-2). 

But Dern stuck with it. She changed camps to work with vaunted coach Jason Parillo at RVCA Training Centre. Her striking made serious strides, and her submissions—particularly the dreaded armbar that always invites comparisons to Ronda Rousey—remained as sharp as ever.

Sandwiched around the pandemic, Dern ripped off a four-fight win streak, three of which nabbed post-fight bonuses. This culminated with her most recent fight, a first-round armbarring of the battle-hardened Nina Nunes (10-7). Still, the cumulative record of those four opponents was 47-28-1, which isn't exactly world-beater territory.

Rodriguez presents a new challenge. She just finished piecing up Michelle Waterson (18-9) in May, outlanding the Karate Hottie by 125 significant strikes to 88, according to UFCStats.com.

Given Dern's skill set, this is a striker-grappler matchup that Las Vegas bookmakers see as relatively close. Dern was a -165 favorite as of Thursday afternoon, per DraftKings. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEj3hBLsZTw

If Dern can win and run her streak to five, she could find herself with a shot at gold. Who would have predicted that after her loss to Ribas? If she gets the shot, it's something she'll have earned, even or maybe especially since she took the scenic route to get there.

So what do you think of her career to date as she sits on the eve of her first main event? Opinions on Dern range far and wide, and it seems everyone's got one. On Saturday those opinions are bound to change, one way or another.

        

Embracing Ngannou-Gane

In an alternate universe, Jon Jones is traipsing across your social media feed, 25 pounds heavier, melting pads with Mike Winkeljohn and winking into the camera with that trademark mustache-smile combination of his.

"Get ready, guys, March 1," theoretical Jones says of his theoretical fight date. "Francis, watch out, champ. I'm coming for you."

But this is not that universe. We learned that for good this week as a megafight between heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (16-3) and interim champ Ciryl Gane (10-0) became a fait accompli. (That is, if we didn't learn it last week when Jones was arrested again.) 

The bout takes place in January as the presumed main event of UFC 270.

It's time to stop treating this matchup like a consolation prize, and I mean that as much for myself as anyone else. This is a damn good scrap between the two best heavyweight MMA fighters on earth.

Ngannou, who opened as a slim -115 favorite on DraftKings, would have a puncher's chance against the Dark Lord Sauron himself. He isn't the champ for nothing, and his brutal knockout of Stipe Miocic (20-4) was just the latest case in point.

Ngannou isn't just a headhunter, either. He showed solid stamina in outworking the normally high-output Miocic, including 28 significant strikes to the head compared with only three for Miocic. 

Gane is more methodical and well-rounded, but he shed the boring tag when he picked apart Derrick Lewis (25-8 [1]) in August. After starting slowly with his familiar point-fighting attack, the Frenchman hobbled Lewis with leg kicks before swarming in for a merciless kill. 

Gane appears to be a meticulous game-planner, so he will certainly have a strategy for contending with Ngannou's power. If he can pull off the mild upset, he'll have gone from an unknown to full-blown UFC champion in the span of two years. 

        

Fury-Wilder 3 Dominates the Weekend

I'm not a big boxing guy, but I do have a soft spot for the headhunters. That's why I'm riding with Deontay Wilder this weekend to pull the upset over Tyson Fury.

In walking Wilder down repeatedly, Fury appeared to solve the Wilder puzzle. But both men have had plenty of time to adapt, and Wilder still has that morning star on the end of his right hand, which might be the most dangerous weapon in all of combat sports.

Will he get it off? Fury has walked through that fire before, but it's an open question as to whether he can do it again, or whether Wilder will let him stay on the outside for extended periods.

But in the meantime, give me Wilder for the KO.

     

Stone-Cold Lead-Pipe Lock of the Week

Record to date: 19-5

That was a swing and a miss by me with Johnny Eduardo (28-13). Big-time whiff. I mean, the guy got submitted with a scarf-hold armlock.

In fairness, Eduardo probably won the first round and much of the second before finally succumbing to a submission. But, horseshoes and hand grenades and all that.

Let's get back on the horse this week and bring it full circle with a pick for Dern to handle Rodriguez in Saturday's main event.

Want to spice it up? DraftKings has Dern at +100 to grab her record-setting fifth UFC win by way of tapout.

Lock this one in and let the winnings flow like wine in the streets.

      

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UFC is reportedly targeting January for a heavyweight title unification bout between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. 

Per Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie, UFC is close to finalizing a deal for the Ngannou-Gane bout at UFC 270 on Jan. 22. 

Gane defeated Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 in August to win the interim heavyweight championship. The French star improved his career record to 10-0 with seven stoppages. 

Per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, there was nothing physically wrong with Ngannou when UFC elected to make the Gane-Lewis bout an interim title fight. 

Ngannou is among several UFC fighters who have publicly expressed their unhappiness with the company's payout structure:

It's crazy to think that Logan Paul (0-1) just made $20M on a boxing exhibition.

WHAT ARE WE DOING WRONG? 🤔

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) June 7, 2021

The Predator has had a long layoff since knocking out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in March to win the UFC heavyweight title. He's taken extended breaks between each of his past two fights. 

After defeating Junior dos Santos in June 2019, Ngannou didn't step into the octagon again until UFC 249 in May 2020. He knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik 20 seconds into the first round on that show. 

It was another 10 months before Ngannou got his rematch with Miocic for the title. The 35-year-old is currently riding a five-fight winning streak, with each of those victories coming by knockout or TKO.    

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones said Thursday he continues to prepare for a potential debut at heavyweight against the winner of the likely unification bout between champion Francis Ngannou and interim champion Ciryl Gane.

Jones told ESPN's Marc Raimondi he's working to stabilize his weight around 270 pounds and he'd then drop five pounds ahead of the weigh-in to reach the heavyweight limit of 265. That's a 60-pound increase from the light heavyweight limit of 205.

"Going from light heavyweight to heavyweight is like jumping three weight classes," Jones said. "I just want to do it right."

Jones hasn't fought since UFC 247 in February 2020 when he beat Dominick Reyes to defend the light heavyweight title. He vacated the belt last August.

The 34-year-old New York native told Raimondi he's focused on making sure his body is on par with fighters who own more experience in the heavyweight division.

"I just don't want to feel smaller than any of the guys," Jones said. "I want to be more conditioned, more skilled and just as strong, if not the strongest guy."

After conquering the light heavyweight division, it always made sense for one of the best fighters in UFC history to take on a new challenge. Being able to dominate at heavyweight would be significant in terms of Jones building his case in the greatest of all time conversation.

While he's aiming for an immediate title fight, UFC President Dana White suggested a clash with Stipe Miocic might be the promotion's first choice for Jones' heavyweight debut.

Jones said he's "open to ideas" but noted he'd like a chance to prove himself in a championship fight right away, potentially in the second quarter of 2022, per Raimondi.

"I will admit Francis is a bigger one when it comes to the financial side," Jones said. "But it's all good. I want the belt, really. I want the belt. I want big money."

He's still one of the UFC's biggest draws despite the extended layoff, so the big payday should come regardless of who his comeback fight is against.

That said, having Jones fight for the heavyweight title without any experience in the division would be quite a spectacle and give him a chance to make a major statement.

The situation should become more clear once the date for the expected Ngannou vs. Gane bout is finalized.

Francis Ngannou reached the pinnacle of UFC's heavyweight division, but he still doesn't feel he gets the respect he deserves from the promotion.

"Yes. I have that feeling,"  Ngannou told Tyler R. Tynes of GQ when asked if he feels disrespected by UFC. "Just recently they gave me the UFC heavyweight champion, and months later they’re talking about someone else being the champion. Sometimes I’m not even sure if I’m really the champ or not. It’s really confusing."

Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic in March to earn the heavyweight championship, completing a journey that began a little more than three years prior with a loss to Miocic. 

UFC and Ngannou then entered talks regarding his first title defense that quickly went haywire. Dana White wanted Ngannou in the Octagon for UFC 265, and the titleholder requested more time. After refusing a counterproposal from Ngannou to fight in September,  White abruptly changed course and created a fight between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis for an interim heavyweight championship.

Gane won the fight and is currently considered the UFC heavyweight champion. 

The move was almost unprecedented, given there were less than five months of turnaround time between Ngannou winning the title and UFC 265. 

In a promotional video for the pay-per-view, White appeared to call Ngannou out, saying, “If you don’t wanna fight, no problem. You can wait and fly around the world on vacation, whatever you’re doing, knock yourself out. Whenever you’re ready we’re here."

Ngannou fired back at UFC, saying the promotion was trying to devalue his status. 

"There’s one thing: if you say you understand the UFC, and how they do business, that means you don’t understand s--t,"  Ngannou said. "It’s just like that: it can be very spontaneous, premature, and decisions are out of nowhere. They just pop up like that: boom! But at the end of the day, things will get done. It’s just a matter of time."

Ngannou's next fight will almost certainly be with Gane, who he previously trained with in 2019.

Ciryl Gane is ready to face Francis Ngannou in his next match after winning the interim heavyweight title at UFC 265:

The new interim HW champ @Ciryl_Gane has something to say 🏆🗣#UFC265 pic.twitter.com/VZFP92uA1B

— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2021

"Let's go. Just, let's go," Gane said about a potential bout against Ngannou.

The current heavyweight champion also weighed in after Saturday's bout:

Impressive performance from Gane !
He's now a legit contender.
See you soon boy. When you know you know. #ufc265

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) August 8, 2021

Gane defeated Derrick Lewis with a third-round TKO, improving to 10-0 in his MMA career. He should move up in the UFC rankings ahead of Lewis, who was the No. 2 contender and beat Ngannou in 2018.

Ngannou won the heavyweight title in March with a victory over the UFC heavyweight divison's winningest fighter in title bouts, Stipe Miocic, but failed negotiations over his next fight led to UFC putting together an interim bout. 

The 34-year-old told TMZ Sports in May he was looking for a bout against two-time light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, but if that isn't an option, a unification title matchup with Gane could be next on the schedule.

Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane will fight for the UFC interim heavyweight title at UFC 265 on Aug. 7, UFC President Dana White confirmed to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

Francis Ngannou is the promotion's heavyweight champion, but Okamoto reported UFC opted for an interim championship fight because it couldn't line up a June or August bout for the titleholder.

Ngannou reacted to the news:

I remember my interim title fight against Jairzinho .... oh wait 🙄

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) June 28, 2021

Marquel Martin, Ngannou's agent, also described the development as a "complete shock."

"To make an interim title so soon, if you look at the history of this division, it comes as a surprise," Martin said. "We hope to get clarity and figure out something with the UFC soon."

Ngannou wasn't the only person asking questions about UFC's decision:

It seems an interim title suits the UFC, which is all that matters to them. There's no sporting reason to make an interim belt. Also, don't forget that Francis Ngannou is represented by CAA. https://t.co/LKhrDCNoyM

— Josh Gross (@yay_yee) June 28, 2021

Between June 2019 and March 2021 Ngannou fought once … for a combined 20 seconds. Couldn’t sniff an IC title shot. And now three months after he wins, and seems to be on the cusp of superstardom, he has to see an IC title fight made. Doesn’t seem right.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 28, 2021

Imagine UFC saying "You know what? We don't need to make any effort to accommodate the schedule of our new heavyweight champion with an incredible backstory and as much power in his hands as a super hero. He should have bent the knee." https://t.co/h912Ibgs1h

— Scott Fontana (@Scott_Fontana) June 28, 2021

While Ngannou didn't log a ton of time inside the Octagon between 2019 and 2020—three fights lasting a total of 1:57—he just beat Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight belt in March at UFC 260.

By comparison, Miocic fought once a year across 2019, 2020 and 2021, yet UFC opted against staging any interim championship fights.

There's no question Lewis and Gane are deserving of an opportunity to capture the gold. They sit second and third, respectively, in the heavyweight rankings.

Lewis is riding a four-fight winning streak, most recently knocking out Curtis Blaydes in the second round of UFC Fight Night 185 in February. Gane is unbeaten in nine professional fights and earned a unanimous decision over Alexander Volkov at UFC Fight Night 190 on Saturday.

Regardless of their credentials, UFC's perceived treatment of Ngannou is likely to be a storyline surrounding UFC 265.

Undefeated Ciryl Gane wants a shot at Francis Ngannou and the UFC heavyweight title following his victory over Alexander Volkov at UFC Fight Night on Saturday.

According to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, Gane said he is "ready" for a title opportunity before adding: "I think it's OK. Now I'm comfortable with the situation. He has the belt. ... We were born in the same gym with the same coach. Now, for the title, for the belt—I can do this."

On Saturday night, Gane beat Volkov by unanimous decision to improve his career professional record to 9-0, with six of those victories coming in the UFC.

The 31-year-old Frenchman has only been a professional MMA fighter since 2018, but he has already done enough to get himself in the championship discussion.

If Gane vs. Ngannou does happen, it would be a huge step in the development of MMA in France, as both Gane and Ngannou trained under Fernand Lopez at MMA Factory in Paris.

The 34-year-old Ngannou, who is originally from Cameroon, has turned himself into a dominant force in the heavyweight division with a career record of 16-3, including 12 wins by way of knockout.

Ngannou has won five fights in a row, including a knockout victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in March to become the heavyweight champ.

Gane has beat some impressive names in his own right over his past three outings with victories over Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Volkov.

Per Raimondi, he is only the fifth heavyweight in history to begin his UFC career 6-0. The others are Randy Couture, Cain Velasquez, dos Santos and Ngannou, all of whom went on to become UFC heavyweight champions.

While Gane is undoubtedly a candidate for a title shot, he may have to wait a bit longer before the UFC grants him one.

He is listed at No. 3 in the UFC heavyweight rankings behind Miocic and Derrick Lewis. He will also likely have to contend with No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Jon "Bones" Jones, who is transitioning to the heavyweight division.

While it isn't a guarantee that Gane's next fight will be a title bout, he is one of the fastest-rising stars in the UFC, so it is likely a matter of when rather than if he gets a title shot.

Dana White's hopes of holding a rematch between Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis for the UFC heavyweight championship this summer appear to be fading away. 

Per MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, the second bout between Ngannou and Lewis being targeted for Aug. 7 is considered a "long shot" right now because of scheduling conflicts. 

Helwani noted a September date could be worked out between the two fighters. 

White told TSN in May that a bout between Ngannou and Lewis "is going to happen this summer.”

That comment came after some hoped that UFC could work out a deal to have Jon Jones move up in weight class to challenge Ngannou. 

Jones said in an April interview with FightHype (h/t ESPN's Brett Okamoto) that he was optimistic about fighting the Predator for the heavyweight crown at some point. 

"I think it's going to happen," Jones said. "I think the UFC will eventually do the right thing. This is one of the greatest fights of our generation, and it would be really sad if it weren't to happen. It would be a real tragedy. All in good time. We're patient."

White said on The Bill Simmons Podcast (h/t Alexander K. Lee of MMAFighting.com) that UFC moved off a potential Jones-Ngannou match because he claimed Jones wanted "$30 million guaranteed" to sign up for the fight. 

Ngannou defeated Stipe Miocic via second-round knockout at UFC 260 in March to win the heavyweight title for the first time in his career. The 34-year-old has won each of his last five fights dating back to November 2018. 

The last person to beat Ngannou was Lewis by unanimous decision at UFC 226 in July 2018. He is in the midst of a four-fight winning streak. 

   

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou said he's still aiming for a marquee title defense against Jon Jones, who's been engaged in a long-term contract dispute with the promotion.

"I want Jon Jones," Ngannou told TMZ Sports in an interview released Friday. "... I love that fight."

Ngannou, 34, captured the heavyweight title with a victory over Stipe Miocic in March. His first defense hasn't been formally announced, but UFC president Dana White previously told TMZ he's "moved on" from the idea of Jones returning to take on the opportunity.

"We have a window where we try to build some fights and make some things happen," White said in May. "If the fights don't happen within that window, we move on, and realistically, I mean I've been saying it since the beginning: Derrick Lewis is the guy who should be getting the title shots. He beat Francis Ngannou. He's next in line, he's coming off of great performances, and that's a wrap. We're moving on."

A date for a clash between Ngannou and Lewis hasn't been confirmed, however, which has left the door open for speculation about Jones' potential return.

The 33-year-old Jones last fought in February 2020 when he defeated Dominick Reyes to defend the light heavyweight title. He vacated the belt in August.

In July, Jones explained on Steve-O's Wild Ride podcast (via ESPN) he was willing to sideline himself for an extended period in an effort to improve financial conditions for all fighters.

"And if I have to have a bad relationship with Dana, sit out for two years, three years, to bring light to what's happening, then these are the things people remember you for more than winning belts," he said. "I stood for the younger fighters."

Neither Jones nor the UFC has shown signs of relenting.

Meanwhile, Ngannou remains a bit in limbo, though it's likely he'll face off with Lewis in the coming months and then they could revisit the Jones idea in the fall if he has a successful title defense.