5 fighters the UFC should book to face Francis Ngannou

ngannou-jones-pavlovich
Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones and Sergei Pavlovich

#2. Sergei Pavlovich

The only UFC heavyweight in the top 5 who has not lost to Francis Ngannou or recently fallen to one of the Cameroonian's former foes, Sergei Pavlovich is an impressive fighter with a high finishing rate.

With a record of 16-1, including 13 knockouts in the 1st round, the Russian is a powerful opponent who even exceeds Ngannou's physical dimensions. Pavlovich matches the reigning champion's height but outdoes his 83-inch reach advantage with a wingspan of 84 inches.

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Currently on a 4-fight win streak, Sergei Pavlovich most recently defeated Derrick Lewis, who holds a win over Ngannou himself. Given his position as a top 5 heavyweight who has not yet faced Ngannou, the UFC can market the Russian as a fresh challenger by not only highlighting his win streak, but that it includes a win over the man who last defeated Ngannou.

The matchup could be billed as a knockout artist versus knockout artist bout to capture the imagination of fight fans around the world.


#1. Jon Jones

Jon Jones is no longer a UFC light heavyweight. The former world champion at 205 lbs has spent the last 2 years growing into his heavyweight frame while sharpening his legendary skill-set in pursuit of two-divisional glory.

In 28 fights, Jones has yet to taste defeat outside of a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in a bout he was completely dominating. After relinquishing his UFC light heavyweight title, Jones expressed interest in a matchup with Ngannou.

Unfortunately, a dispute with the UFC involving fight purses ensued and 'Bones' embarked on a self-imposed sabbatical from mixed martial arts in protest. During his absence, Jones continued training and has bulked up en route to his future heavyweight debut, which the UFC has not yet booked.

Due to Jones' history of seeking a matchup with Ngannou as well as it being the culmination of the years Jones spent courting the possibility of fighting at heavyweight, he should be booked as the Cameroonian's next foe.

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Edited by John Cunningham
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