On a night that began with some quick knockouts, it's only fitting that UFC Minneapolis ended with one as well. Francis Ngannou scored a TKO victory over Junior dos Santos in the first round of their heavyewight bout on Saturday night at UFC on ESPN 3.
The heavyweight showdown had some major implications in terms of who would likely be next in line to fight for the title, and Ngannou made a major statement.
The fight began with a series of powerful leg kicks from Ngannou. Dos Santos threw a wild right overhand that Ngannou successfully dodged and then took advantage of the former champion's sloppy positioning. Ngannou landed two powerful punches that forced Dos Santos to the mat and followed it up with a series of hammerfists and punches that forced the referee to step in and call it.
It was another quick stoppage for Ngannou, who previously knocked out Cain Velasquez in just 26 seconds at UFC Phoenix in February.
The win this weekend Francis Ngannou in position to challenge the winner of
UFC 241's heavyweight championship main event between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic in August. Cormier won the heavyweight belt by knocking out Miocic in the first round at UFC 226. Cormier was seeking a fight with Brock Lesnar as his finale before retiring, but that didn't work out and now he'll fight in a rematch against Miocic. Should he win, it's unclear what he'll do next in terms of continuing his career or retiring. If Miocic wins, then it's almost certain he'll fight Ngannou next.