UFC free fight: Francis Ngannou takes out Junior Dos Santos in first round

Francis Ngannou has been on a vengeance in his road back to title contention.

After dropping back-to-back fights to UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis, Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) rebounded emphatically with two straight knockouts over Curtis Blaydes and Cain Velasquez, both in under a minute.

In his last fight at UFC on ESPN 3, Ngannou was matched up with another former heavyweight champion, Junior Dos Santos, who would suffer the same fate.

Dos Santos came out strong, throwing some hard leg kicks, one which briefly dropped Ngannou, but Ngannou continued pressing forward. Then, one minute into the round, Dos Santos lunged forward with a big overhand right that missed, and Ngannou made him pay with a big counter followed by another right, which sent him spinning to the canvas.

A few shots on the ground, and the referee had seen enough. Another first-round finish and statement made by “The Predator.”

Ngannou, who’s been itching to get another crack at the title, will face Jairzinho Rozenstruik next in what could very well be a No. 1 contender fight. They were scheduled for the UFC on ESPN 8 headliner this weekend, but that card was postponed because of coronavirus concerns. However, UFC president Dana White revealed that Ngannou’s fight with Rozenstruik could wind up on the reconstructed UFC 249 card on April 18.

In the meantime, you can watch Ngannou’s win over Dos Santos in the video above.