UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Francis Ngannou’s next fight is set to be against Derrick Lewis.
Ever since Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic and captured the UFC heavyweight title, fans have been wondering when ‘The Predator’ would be booked to defend the belt against Jon Jones.
Jones, who last fought in early 2020, vacated the UFC light heavyweight crown with the aim of going up to heavyweight to challenge for the title. Unfortunately, Jones’ reported demands for a higher purse mean we probably won’t be seeing that showdown anytime soon.
Ngannou vs Lewis 2
Instead the UFC decided to turn its attention towards Ngannou vs Lewis – a rematch from their admittedly dull encounter back in July 2018.
During a recent interview with TSN, White spoke about Jones’ future with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Per Dana White, Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis is being targeted for this summer.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 10, 2021
Earlier today, he gave me an update on where the promotion stood with Jon Jones.
Full interview: https://t.co/7HQ2SihfW9 pic.twitter.com/JfEZsef7hx
“Listen, you look as the last however many years and people ask me who I think the best ever is and I say Jon Jones. You know, Jon Jones is a massive part of the history of this company.” White said.
“He’s one of the best ever. No matter where you stand, whether you think it is him, Anderson, Khabib, GSP, wherever you stand on that, he’s one of the best of all-time. Obviously there is still some big fights that can be made with him and we would love to do it. You know, it’s not like we can’t get something done over here.”
White was then questioned about the elephant in the room – Ngannou’s first title defence.
“No, we are working on that fight [Ngannou/Lewis]. That fight is going to happen this summer.”
While the first fight may not have been much to write home about, Lewis did manage to edge out a decision win.
Now, he’s riding a four-fight win streak, and he hopes to be the man who finally stops the surge of Francis Ngannou.
Featured image credit: Getty