Francis Ngannou Says He May Not Compete Again For 9-12 Months
A victorious Ngannou believes that he may not compete again for nine to twelve months due to the potential Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier III fight that could happen down the line.
“Honestly, I don’t know what is up next,” Ngannou said after the event (via Nolan King & John Morgan of MMA Junkie). “I think I’m going to let my manager talk with the UFC and see how it goes and see what they say. It’s very confusing, because right now, yes, we know Stipe is going to fight ‘DC.’ The question is: When? This is May – the beginning of May. We don’t know when. I have to wait for that fight and expect that the winner doesn’t get an injury or get hurt. Then, he’ll go take some rest, take vacation, and come back after two or three months. Then, he’ll go to training camp. I’ll end up with maybe nine months or one year again, this time. It’s something I didn’t like at all. I don’t want to be in that space again.”
There is no word when Miocic vs. Cormier III could go down, as Miocic is still in the process of recovering from an eye injury suffered at UFC 241.
If Ngannou’s prediction comes to fruition, it could mean that fans won’t see the #2 ranked heavyweight won’t fight again until at least March of next year at the earliest.