White targeting March date for Miocic-Ngannou II

Those looking forward to UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic defending his belt again will have to play a bit of a waiting game.

As will No. 1 contender Francis Ngannou, who was hoping to fight in a rematch vs. Miocic in December.

That won’t happen, UFC president Dana White recently said. Instead, White is targeting Ngannou-Miocic II in March.

“That fight won’t be ready until March,” White recently told TMZ when asked about the heavyweight title fight. “It could (happen in March) yeah, that’s the goal. We’ll see what happens.”

Miocic last fought in August, when he won a fiveround unanimous decision over Daniel Cormier to retain his championship belt and secure a trilogy over his top rival. Cormier won the first of three against Miocic, until the champ won the last two.

Now, there could be another big-time rival again entering Miocic’s life. In 2018, the two faced off in Boston with the champ dominating Ngannou from

start to finish. Miocic used six takedowns and a steady use of both hands to wear down Ngannou.

Ngannou said he learned a lot from the fight, which gave Miocic the UFC heavyweight record for most consecutive title defenses at three. Still, Ngannou struggled after that fight with two sluggish performances before putting himself on a roll, and in position for another shot at the title.

Recently, Ngannou said he spoke to the UFC and asked to fight Miocic on Dec. 12 at UFC 256. But that’s off the table now, according to White.

If Ngannou-Miocic II happens in March, the contender will need a much better performance to dethrone the champion. It was all Miocic at UFC 220 in Boston the first time.

The five-round unanimous decision included Miocic (20-3) having the advantage in strikes — 200 to 33 — and significant strikes — 70 to 21. In the fourth round, it was 82-0 in favor of strikes to Miocic.

Ngannou (15-3), though, has won four straight bouts and vaulted himself to the No. 1 heavyweight contender spot. He desperately wants to make amends for

that 2018 loss.

“When I look back to that fight, I see a lot of opportunities that I could have had if I really was well-prepared,” Ngannou recently said.

When the two return to the octagon, there will likely be an interesting subplot. Ngannou, perhaps frustrated by playing the waiting game, recently called himself the “uncrowned champ” on social media.

If White’s projection of a March fight is correct, Ngannou can start the fivemonth countdown to proving himself worthy.

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