Dana White Has High Expectations For Francis Ngannou Following UFC 218

UFC President Dana White went on record going into UFC 218 that the bout between Alistair Overeem and Francis Ngannou would be a No. 1 contender fighter in the heavyweight division.

As seen in the co-main event, Overeem was viciously knocked out by the rising contender in the first round of their heavyweight bout. He laid unconscious on the canvas for what felt to be a while after eating a left uppercut from Ngannou.

Now, Ngannou is slated to be the next title challenger for UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Ngannou has stated that not only does he want to become the UFC’s first African champion, but also dreams of headlining the company’s first fight card on the continent.

White has no doubt that the fast-rising heavyweight star has the ability to become a big name on a worldwide basis.

“We’ve had some trouble getting him a fight,” White acknowledged at the UFC 218 post-fight press conference in Detroit (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting). “But once we keep this guy active and you see him doing this to all the big stars that you know, and yeah, I think this guy’s going to be a rock star globally.”

Ngannou is now 6-0 in UFC competition and has had the look of a potential star from the time he made his promotional debut.

“The guy, first of all, when you look at him, he looks like the heavyweight champion of the world,” White said. “I mean, he looks like the heavyweight champion of something. The guy is a monster.”

“He looked incredible tonight. Wow,” White said. “That’s as impressive a heavyweight knockout as you’ll ever see.”