UFC 260: Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou Preview

UFC 260 takes place this weekend at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas as heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic puts his title on the line in a rematch against Francis Ngannou.

Ngannou challenged Miocic for the first time at UFC 220 but was outwrestled for five rounds, losing via a lopsided unanimous decision. ‘The Predator’ has been on a rampage since then, winning all of his last four fights in the first two minutes. Miocic has also improved a lot since his first fight with the Cameroonian, beating Daniel Cormier 2-1 in their historic trilogy.

In the co-main event at UFC 260, Tyron Woodley looks to return to winning ways against Vicente Luque. Elsewhere on the main card, Sean O’Malley competes against Thomas Almeida and Gillian Robertson faces Miranda Maverick.

Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou

Stipe Miocic is clearly the superior fighter compared to Francis Ngannou, yet this fight is a 50-50. Such is the power of the Cameroonian.

Miocic is the better striker and his grappling is far superior. He will have a huge advantage unless Ngannou has made a massive amount of improvement to his wrestling game. The challenger has been training hard on his ground game at Xtreme Couture, with the likes of Kamaru Usman. But until proven otherwise, Miocic will have the advantage in the grappling department.

Fight fans… 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮. 🏆 #UFC260 pic.twitter.com/iQOmc8RLoz

— UFC (@ufc) March 23, 2021

Ngannou’s cardio is also questionable. He has only spent three minutes inside the Octagon in his last four fights, thanks to his ferocious power. If he connects at UFC 260, he won’t have to worry about anything else on the night. However, if he fails to do so, it is going to be a long night for him. Rest assured, you’ll be on the edge of your seat for this one.

Tyron Woodley vs Vicente Luque

UFC 260 is an important turn in Tyron Woodley’s illustrious MMA career. He’s coming off three back-to-back losses, and should he lose a fourth consecutive time, the UFC wouldn’t shy away from parting ways with him. With that being said, ‘The Chosen One’ has a better chance of winning this fight compared to his last three.

Luque is a powerhouse, but he’s nothing Woodley hasn’t seen before. However, the former welterweight champion still needs to be careful because he’ll certainly be lacking confidence. For Luque, confidence wouldn’t be a problem as he has won two on the bounce since losing to Stephen Thompson at UFC 244. He’s also 12-2 in the UFC.

Heavy hitter incoming! @VicenteLuqueMMA has the ability to shut anyone off… 😳 #UFC260 pic.twitter.com/VGCtbVg7lL

— UFC (@ufc) March 23, 2021

The fight is a three-round co-main event, which is good news for Woodley. Not having to think about those championship rounds is exactly what he needs at the moment. Therefore, we should expect him to start aggressively. It’s a close fight and can go either way.

Sean O’Malley vs Thomas Almeida

Sean O’Malley is coming off a loss but he’s mentally undefeated, as he says. He was TKO’d by Chito Vera at UFC 252, but only after he couldn’t stay on his feet due to a foot injury. Therefore, he doesn’t consider it as a legitimate loss.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1374768220297695237

Realistically, he’ll be fighting to return to winning ways and has a favorable matchup in Thomas Almeida. Both fighters are great strikers, but O’Malley’s reach and speed are going to cause lots of problems for the Brazilian. Almeida might try to mix things up by attempting takedowns, and it’ll be interesting to see how ‘Suga’ responds.

O’Malley is a size (-320) favorite and should win on the night if all goes well.

Gillian Robertson vs Miranda Maverick

23-year-old Miranda Maverick is one of the top prospects in the UFC flyweight division. She is currently riding a four-fight win streak with three finishes. Gillian Robertson is coming off a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Taila Santos.

Robertson is an excellent grappler, and there’s no speculating what her game plan will be. She will try to take the fight to the mat right from the word go. However, Maverick is also a crafty grappler and is a tough cookie to crack. If the two engage in a striking contest, Maverick won’t have many problems because she is the superior striker.

Robertson vs Maverick is a decent fight and should deliver at UFC 260.

Jared Gooden vs Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousin Abubakar had a horrible start to his UFC career, as he was submitted by David Zawada in the first round. But to his relief, his next opponent Jared Gooden also had a losing start to his UFC career against Alan Jouban.

Nurmagomedov is a combat Sambo champion and a fairly decent striker, but he has been knocked out once and submitted twice in his career. Gooden is a sneaky submission fighter on the other hand and has vicious knockout power in his hands.

Gooden is a well-rounded fighter and is a tough test for Nurmagomedov, who with all due respect, isn’t as scary as his other family members. He’s a beatable Nurmagomedov, and Gooden will be entering the Octagon with a great amount of confidence at UFC 260. This one could go either way.

Other Fights On The Card

Jamie Mullarkey vs Khama Worthy

William Knight vs Alonzo Menifield

Jessica Penne vs Hannah Goldy

Modestas Bukauskas vs Michał Oleksiejczuk

Marc-André Barriault vs Abu Azaitar

What are your predictions for UFC 260, headlined by Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou?