Francis Ngannou UFC: Francis Ngannou's best UFC wins

This past Saturday, Francis Ngannou took part in the biggest fight of his career when he faced heavyweight boxing sensation Tyson Fury. It was the Cameroonian's first-ever professional boxing match, and many expected Fury to run over him with supreme ease.

Instead, Ngannou gave a great account of himself, scoring a knockdown and, in many people's eyes, beating Fury by split decision despite the official decision not going his way. Ahead of the bout, much was made about Ngannou being an MMA fighter whose only hope of beating Fury was to land a knockout blow.

That knockout blow carried Francis Ngannou to the greatest successes of his combat sports career, culminating in a UFC heavyweight title win. He left the UFC for the PFL, having never lost his title in battle. Besides two losses that he took as lessons, Ngannou has beaten everyone in the UFC. Here are some of his best wins.

#5. Francis Ngannou vs. Curtis Blaydes 2

Francis Ngannou has faced Curtis Blaydes several times. Their first encounter ended with a doctor stoppage after 'The Predator's' blows caused Blaydes' eye to swell shut. At the time, both men were heavyweight prospects on the rise. However, circumstances were different by the time their rematch happened.

Ngannou was in desperate need of a win, as he was in a difficult position, having suffered back-to-back losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis, the latter of whom beat him in a highly criticized low-volume affair. At UFC Fight Night 141, Ngannou was in a do-or-die position. Had he not won, he'd have lost three straight fights.

And given Dana White's comments about his alleged ego at the time, three consecutive losses could have prompted his release from the UFC, as the promotion has cut fighters for less. Fortunately, Ngannou saved his career with a fine return to form, dropping Blaydes numerous times for a 45-second TKO.

#4. Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane

While Francis Ngannou's win over Curtis Blaydes likely saved his career, or at least his heavyweight title hopes, it was not the last fight where the odds were stacked against him. UFC 270 featured a clash between 'The Predator' and former teammate Ciryl Gane. It was the Cameroonian's first heavyweight title defense.

At the time, Gane was regarded as the future of heavyweight MMA and was the interim heavyweight champion. He matched Ngannou's size and athleticism but had better footwork, movement, cardio, and technical kickboxing skills. Ngannou, who was known only as a knockout artist, was predicted by many to lose.

Worse still, Ngannou stepped inside the octagon at UFC 270 with damaged ligaments in his knee. He was not at the peak of his powers, yet he stunned everyone by implementing a wrestling-heavy gameplan that saw him score takedowns and rack up control time to win a competitive bout via unanimous decision.

#3. Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

After suffering two back-to-back losses that could have forever derailed his UFC career, Francis Ngannou rebounded with a knockout streak in a triumphant return to form. His aim was to earn another crack at the heavyweight title, which was held by Stipe Miocic at the time.

The last win that 'The Predator' scored to book a rematch with Stipe Miocic came against then-undefeated kickboxer and fellow knockout artist Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who had previously challenged Francis Ngannou to a fight. The two men finally crossed swords at UFC 249.

Despite Rozenstruik's confidence ahead of the bout, he was beaten by an opponent who knew he had nothing for him. 20 seconds into the fight, Ngannou scoffed at Rozenstruik's kickboxing and simply marched forward, swinging wildly until he landed, knocking Rozenstruik out cold and handing him his first-ever loss.

#2. Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem

Alistair Overeem is widely regarded as one of the best MMA strikers to have ever competed in the sport's heavyweight division. While a UFC championship always eluded him, he was a world champion in Strikeforce and DREAM, the latter of which was a spiritual successor to PRIDE.

Furthermore, his K-1 kickboxing accolades made him a feared standup artist. At UFC 218, he expected those skills to serve him well against Francis Ngannou. It was, back then, the biggest test of Ngannou's career and was meant to determine whether he'd receive his first title shot at Stipe Miocic's heavyweight crown.

Ngannou passed with flying colors, needing only a minute and 42 seconds in round one to land a thunderous uppercut that quickly became his most viral knockout and remains as such to this day.

#1. Francis Ngannou vs. Stipe Miocic 2

The single greatest performance of Francis Ngannou's MMA career came against the man who had handed him his most one-sided loss: Stipe Miocic. He had previously faced the all-time great 265-pounder back at UFC 220 in what was his first UFC heavyweight title fight.

Back then, Ngannou was handed a humbling defeat, getting outstruck on the feet and thoroughly dominated in the wrestling department, gassing out as he flailed his arms in a hopeless attempt at landing the knockout blow. Instead, he walked away with a confidence-shattering unanimous decision loss that haunted him.

But at UFC 260, Ngannou had learned the lessons from their previous encounter. In a dominant showing, he not only defended Miocic's takedown but even scored a trip takedown of his own, all before dropping Miocic in round two and knocking him out seconds later to become the UFC heavyweight champion.