Dos Santos is packing absolute china in his chin which isn't going to get any better and while he has solid boxing for an mma fighter he would pose little to no threat to any top 50 heavyweight boxers
Dos Santos looked like yeah i'll just take the pay cheque as soon as he was touched, stood right up like nothing happened when the ref waived it off. if he had some heart would of least went for a leg instead of quitting in that position.
Don't feel any different about Ngannou than I did before or after the Miocic fight. Hes a fierce puncher with great killer instinct who's super dangerous early but ultimately will still succumb to an educated gameplan like the one Miocic executed. Granted the rest of the division may not be good enough to show if he's actually made improvements - I can't blame him for how easy his recent run has been but all the same it's frustrating as a fan not to see him pushed again to see if any adjustments have actually been made.
I agree. But as you said, you can't blame Francis. The UFC did put him through the 3 toughest opponents possible, besides DC and Miocic. The easy thing is to say that both Cain and JDS are well past prime, but Ngannou is still the first from 'the new era' to beat these all time greats. We do need to see him fight winner of DC and Miocic next - i'll actually think Ngannou beats Miocic with a better gameplan. Ngannou is a counter-sriker, and he came into the Miocic fight just swinging wildly and spending all his energy in the first. I think that played a big role in Miocic being able to take down and dominate Ngannou. If he comes in more composed, i do think he'll knockout Miocic in a rematch. DC is the toughest matchup for Ngannou imo, but i don't see DC taking a fight with Ngannou if he beats Miocic and defends his title. It's prob Jones at LHW or HW or he retires. Ngannou should be next in line for a title shot though.
I certainly think Ngannou can catch Miocic but he's not the better fighter - Not by a long shot. Ngannou would still struggle with the straight and long punches of Miocic on addition to his wrestling. Should Stipe get through Cormier convincingly I would pick him to beat Ngannou in a similar way again.
Maybe not, but Francis do have the power and strength advantage - and i think people are underrating his skillset. I haven't seen him gas out like he did vs Miocic, even before Miocic took him down for the first time. He came in and threw everything prob expecting a quick KO. A bit like McGregor vs Diaz 1. Ngannou did show twice vs Blaydes that he deffo can defend takedowns. Blaydes might be the 2nd best wrestler in the division after DC. I do think Francis knocks out Miocic in a rematch, if he stays composed. I could very easily be wrong, but i see Ngannou by KO inside two rounds. I see DC winning vs Ngannou with constant pressure not allowing Ngannou to dictate pace and distance.
100 % agree. His gas tank and ground game was PATHETIC against Miocic and don't forget that embarrassing display against the awful Derrick Lewis. I'm certainly not convinced of him yet and wouldn't pick him against either Cormier/Miocic.
I don't think Blaydes is anywhere near as good of a wrestler as Miocic - at least in regards to MMA. Stipe mixes his takedowns in with strikes much better and is just as good if not better at controlling once it hits the mat. He also doesn't get clipped nearly as much before he's able to impose his wrestling.
Well said. I'd have picked Francis to beat any version of JDS. People rave about JDS's Boxing, but he just throws the overhand right a lot. Francis is way more well rounded. I think he beats Stipe this time. Stipe, leading up to the DC fight, relied on his aura as "baddest man on the planet" and kept repeating it a lot. Then DC laid him out. I think his confidence has gone, and Francis's hasn't. Francis via KO R1. Book it!
