Report: Curtis Blaydes vs. Francis Ngannou Set For UFC Beijing
Curtis Blaydes vs. Francis Ngannou is reportedly set for the UFC’s first foray into Beijing.
Sources told ESPN that the fight will headline the event on November 24, 2018. Both camps have agreed to the fight.
The bout is also a rematch of their 2016 fight which Ngannou won by TKO via doctor’s stoppage.
The surging “Razor” comes into the bout off of by far his biggest win. He finished former title challenger Alistair Overeem via brutal TKO at UFC 225 earlier this year. Blaydes has won five of his six UFC bouts since. The lone blemish was a no contest in his original TKO win over Milstead. That result was overturned when Blaydes tested positive for cannabis.
Ngannou, meanwhile, will come into the fight off a concerning two-fight skid. The once-touted challenger was on top of the MMA world as recently as this January. He knocked out Overeem with one of the more brutal uppercuts MMA has ever seen to earn a shot at then-champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 220. Miocic proceeded to throttle Ngannou over the course of five rounds.
He then went on to face Derrick Lewis in one of the summer’s most anticipated fights at UFC 226 in July. The bout was one of the most jaw-droppingly boring fights in UFC heavyweight history. Ngannou lost by unanimous decision to put his future in question.
“The Predator” had knocked out or submitted six straight foes prior to the losing streak.
