Francis Ngannou needs just 71 seconds to finish Junior dos Santos at UFC Minneapolis
- The 32-year-old wins by TKO
- Ngannou claims third straight win
Francis Ngannou set himself up for a blockbuster bout with the winner of the upcoming Daniel Cormier-Stipe Miocic clash after a convincing win over Junior dos Santos at UFC Minneapolis on Saturday night.
The 32-year-old French-Cameroonian needed just 71 seconds to put his Brazilian opponent away, displaying his trademark punching power with a devastating barrage of ground hits before the referee stepped in to wave off the contest.
Ngannou, UFC’s No 2 ranked heavyweight, was already eyeing a lucrative clash with the winner of the main event at UFC 241 on August 18 where Cormier will rematch with Miocic, and landing a third straight win in such impressive style will surely bolster his chances of that match-up being made.
The Las Vegas-based kick-boxer was quick out of the blocks finding his range with kicks that found their mark. Dos Santos looked keen to seize the initiative after a big shot that troubled Ngannou, but it only served to rile the organisation’s biggest puncher. He dropped Dos Santos with a big right hand and then swarmed on his stricken opponent and landed some big shots before the referee’s intervention.
“I think the only thing left now is the winner of Stipe and DC,” Ngannou said after the fight. “I want the title shot bad.”
Since back-to-back losses against Miocic and Derrick Lewis last year, Ngannou has been on a knockout rampage which began with his thrilling win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC Beijing in November.
