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Velasquez (14-2) last fought in July 2016 to a first-round TKO win over Travis Browne almost three years ago at UFC 200 and will face no easy task upon his return as he will collide with devastating striker Francis Ngannou in the main event. “The Predator” (12-3) is fresh off a first-round TKO win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 141 late last year, and his confidence seems to be back after his setbacks against Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis earlier in 2018.
For many, this is a dream fight in the heavyweight division and it may surprise some to know it has been brewing for a while, at least from Ngannou’s side. Here’s a history of the heavyweights’ interactions with each other leading up to their big fight this weekend.
First call-out
Ngannou began 2017 with a bang as he finished former champion Andrei Arlovski via TKO in the first round at UFC on Fox 23.
He would call out the likes of Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem afterward. However, he clarified in the post-fight press conference afterward that neither was his first choice. "I’m talking about Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, but I’m just talking about them because I think that Cain Velasquez is injured,” said the MMA Factory fighter. “If he is OK, I am ready for him. He’s the next one, the one I would like to fight."
Velasquez’s return delayed
There were rumors that Ngannou would then face a returning Velasquez at UFC 211. However, those rumors were later put to rest by Velasquez’s coach Javier Mendez. The American Kickboxing Academy head revealed in March that the 36-year-old was barely training and would not be ready to fight anytime soon.
Then heavyweight champ Miocic would successfully defend his title against Dos Santos in the main event of UFC 211, but “The Predator” wasn’t a fan. “It was a good performance, but I was not impressed,” Ngannou told “The MMA Hour.” “I think I need more than that. I am not impressed with him. I am impressed with someone like Velasquez. I think he’s the best heavyweight we have, and that’s why I want to fight him. … I already called out Velasquez, but he says he’s injured. But, I would like to fight him and then get a title shot.”
Fight finally gets made
It would be a while before there was any talk of Velasquez vs. Ngannou, as the latter would go on to devastatingly knock out Overeem at the end of 2017 to earn a title shot at UFC 220. “The Predator” was completely dominated by Miocic, who won a lopsided decision to become the first heavyweight champion to defend his title three times. The manner of the defeat seemed to haunt Ngannou in his UFC 226 fight with Lewis in July, as he barely threw any punches and lost another decision in what was one of the worst fights in recent memory.
However, a second win over Blaydes has seen Ngannou’s stock rise again as he finally got his wish to face Velasquez when it was announced in December. Velasquez, now healthy and fully training again, would send his opponent a message a couple of days before it was made official.
Thank you for the Xmas present champ I can't wait for it, I got you too!!! feliz Navidad#ufcphoenix https://t.co/l9NCVUazwx
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) December 25, 2018
In an interview last month, Velasquez would speak of his match-up with his French opponent for the first time. “The game is to improve,” said the former champion to MMA Junkie. “I’m always looking to improve. I’ve been in the game for a while, but there’s always room for improvement. You’re just never satisfied. Well, at least I’m not.
“I have the fight against Ngannou. I’ve got to go out there, and he presents a lot of dangers, so there’s a lot of things I have to be really tight on my game when I go out there and fight. I’m ready for that.”
With fight week in full swing now, one can expect to see more interactions between the two and possibly even mentions as to how this contest was over two years in the making.