Video Credit: UFC

FSM Essential Recap: UFC UFC 260

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There is a new face of the UFC heavyweight division. Francis Ngannou dominated Stipe Miocic in every facet, crowning himself the new UFC Heavyweight Champion with a second round knockout in the main event of UFC 260.

 

UFC 260
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports

This was a rematch from 2018, and Ngannou (16-3) executed a far more effective game plan than he did three years ago. Miocic (20-4) needed to absorb early punishment and extend the fight, which he did in the first round. But the tide turned in the second, as Ngannou drilled Miocic with a power jab up the middle, then effectively ended the fight with a vicious short left hook.

Ngannou showed patience and versatility, and he even successfully defended a Miocic takedown attempt in the opening round. Had Miocic extended the fight into the fourth or fifth round, it would have been very telling to see if Ngannou showed that same skill and poise on the mat. To Ngannou’s credit, he finished the fight well before that ever became a question.

“He did a mistake of following me; maybe he thought I was hurt or something,” Ngannou said of the finishing sequence. “That’s when I caught him. We’ve been putting in a lot of work; we’ve been working on everything. Every day, we’ve been working on those things. I worked every day and learned to relax and get the best out of myself instead of going out and rushing.”

Ngannou, who is now riding a five-fight winning streak, all by knockout, could be set to face a former longtime light heavyweight champion who is set to make his debut in the heavyweight division, more on that later.

 

UFC 260 was not a night full of chump-change.

 

UFC 260
Photo Credit: SCMP

Four men stood out among the rest of the fighters at UFC 260 on Saturday night. Their performances were good enough to earn Performance of the Night bonuses from UFC and pocket some extra money, $50,000. The first, of course, is the new UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou.

Sean O’Malley joined Ngannou as a Performance of the Night bonus winner. O’Malley almost let the bonus slip through his fingers in his bout with Thomas Almeida. In the first round, O’Malley rocked Almeida, driving him into the cage after a big head kick and left hand, but walked away rather than following up, allowing Almeida back in the fight.

However, in the final moments of the third round, O’Malley hit a beautiful step-back left hand that dropped Almeida. When the fight wasn’t immediately stopped, this time O’Malley took the opportunity to finish it, jumping in with a big right hand to the downed Almeida to score the brutal knockout.

The other Fight of the Night bonuses went to Tyron Woodley and Vicente Luque for their welterweight battle. The fight saw Woodley showing aggression he had not in his past several fights, bringing the fight right to Luque from the opening bell.

Luque eventually rocked Woodley, only for Luque to get rocked back when Woodley returned fire. Luque eventually sent Woodley stumbling back into the cage before locking up a D’Arce choke in a wild one-round brawl. Many are speculating that this could be it for Woodley in the octagon.

 

Could there be a super fight on tap next?

 

UFC 260
Photo Credit: TATAME

The UFC seems to have the next great super fight on its hands, and this one (finally) has nothing to do with Conor McGregor or whether or not the great, and retired Khabib Nurmagomedov, will ever return.

Francis Ngannou’s violent destruction of Stipe Miocic, one of the greatest heavyweight champions in promotional history, felt like it might have kickstarted a new era within the division. The fact that former light heavyweight king Jon Jones is expected to be next in line means the UFC couldn’t be in a better position.

UFC commentator Joe Rogan closed the pay-per-view broadcast on Saturday night, calling it one of the biggest fights that could be made in the history of the sport. He isn’t wrong, and fans would pay top dollar to watch it.

UFC has an opportunity to pair the sport’s best against the scariest champion it has ever promoted and can do so in the same year its parent company, Endeavor, plans to go public in the stock market. This is nothing short of a matchup made in heaven for fans and UFC brass alike.

After the fight, Jones initially tweeted, “Let’s play, baby.” He then deleted the tweet and replaced it with a more to the point “Show me the money.”

Stay tuned!!

 

Another good fight card is officially in the books as the UFC continues to entertain us. Whether we are watching champions, former champions, title contenders, or up and comers, the UFC will continue to give us entertaining fight cards to enjoy, with more on the way.

 

 

Be sure to check out franchisesportsmedia.com for all your latest in MMA, Las Vegas sports news, events, previews, and recaps.

 

UFC 260             UFC 260             UFC 260             UFC 260             UFC 260             UFC 260             UFC 260             UFC 260                                                

 

-Joe Arrigo – Franchise Sports Media

 

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