Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou II reportedly being planned for UFC 256

Earlier in the week, ESPN reported that the UFC 256 Welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns has been called off and is now likely to take place next year. With reigning champion Kamaru Usman seemingly asking for some extra time to prepare, it has now been reported by Ariel Helwani that Dana White's promotion is already looking forward to booking a new title fight.

During the latest edition of the DC & Helwani Show, ESPN's Ariel Helwani claimed that the UFC aims to book the highly-anticipated rematch heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and top contender Francis Ngannou. The fight is expected to replace the already canceled UFC Welterweight Championship bout.

"Hey, I'm hearing Usman-Burns, maybe not a 100%. They've already reached out for Stipe and Francis." - Helwani stated.

Francis Ngannou set to get a title shot once again

On the back of a dominant win over Daniel Cormier at UFC 252, Stipe Miocic could find himself back in the Octagon once again in 2020, as it has now been reported that the promotion is looking into Miocic vs. Ngannou II.

The pair initially fought in the main event of UFC 220. Champion Stipe Miocic dominated the fight and eventually retained his title over The Predator via unanimous decision. However, ever since his loss to Miocic and Derrick Lewis, Francis Ngannou has undergone a career redemption that most fighters could only dream of.

Finishing off the likes of Jairzinho Rozenstruik and former UFC Heavyweight Champions in Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, Francis Ngannou is more than ready to challenge Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title once again. It now remains to be seen if the UFC can get the reigning champion on board for a fight by the end of 2020.

When is UFC 256?

UFC 256 is scheduled for December 12, 2020, and coincidentally, that is also the rumored date for the charity fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, which will take place under the McGregor Sports And Entertainment Limited banner, per McGregor himself.

Reigning UFC Double Champion Amanda Nunes will be defending the women's featherweight title against Megan Anderson at the pay-per-view. Aljamain Sterling has also called for a bantamweight title fight against Petr Yan on the same date.