Blaydes Vs. Ngannou 2 Penciled In For Main Event At UFC Beijing.

Can Ngannou Get Back On Track?

Less than 10 days since asking for a fight against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, it appears Curtis Blaydes has found himself an opponent, and it's not Miocic. It was just August 7th when Blaydes tweeted at Stipe inquiring about his availability for the UFC 25th Anniversary card. Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 has been agreed upon (but not signed) for the UFC's Beijing card taking place on November 24th. I suppose you have to take the fights you're offered, but where has Stipe disappeared to? We've heard very little about him since UFC 226, meanwhile Blaydes has been admittedly more vocal. https://twitter.com/WritingIrishMMA/status/1029063366554337281 The match-up is an intriguing one as Ngannou and Blaydes had very different conclusions to their most recent respective fights. UFC fans will remember Curtis Blaydes raining down elbows on Alistair Overeem to end their bout. Or as Joe Rogan so eloquently put it, "he opened him up like a can of tuna". On the other side is Francis Ngannou who, since his "fight" with Derrick Lewis, has been the topic of some interesting conversations. Could Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 be his road back to confidence?

What Happened To Francis Ngannou?

Here are Dana White's thoughts according to Forbes: “Horrible,” White said of Ngannou’s performance at the UFC 226 post-fight press conference. “I think that he had a pretty quick rise here and obviously the fight over Alistair Overeem catapulted him. Everybody was talking about him. I thought he was going to be the next guy. I think his ego ran away with him. Big time. I can tell you that his ego absolutely did run away. The minute that happens to you in the fight game you see what happens – you start to fall apart." I'm sure Dana, along with the UFC, and its fans are rooting for a resurgence from Ngannou (I certainly am). It's actually a pretty genius move on the part of the UFC, by having Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 take place in Beijing. Ngannou wont be part of a Pay-Per-View card, which could take some of the pressure to perform off of the UFC's number four heavyweight contender. [caption id="attachment_109230" align="alignnone" width="730"] Photo: BJPenn.com[/caption] All things equal, Ngannou is a professional fighter, and pulling himself out of the spiral will ultimately be up to him, but it does seem that the UFC is giving him every opportunity to get it figured out.

The Curtis Blaydes Effect

Admittedly the preview of Lewis vs. Ngannou at UFC 226 was off the mark since we were all expecting a slug-fest, but I eluded to this exact situation taking place: "He’s climbing the UFC heavyweight contenders list with a vengeance. Blaydes has firmly cemented himself as the number two contender, right behind Ngannou. A win by Lewis in this fight would shake up the heavyweight division more than a little bit. But tied to that, A Miocic loss at UFC 226 changes the landscape dramatically as well. After “Razor” Blaydes’ definitive victory over Alistair he’s calling his shot in an interview with The MMA Hour that the only fight other than the winner of Miocic vs. Cormier he would accept, was a bout with Francis Ngannou." Although Blaydes didn't get his shot at Stipe (yet) he appears to be getting another shot at Ngannou. Blaydes may not have pictured himself fighting this version of Ngannou when he called his shot back in June. But if Blaydes can notch a victory, not only will he exact revenge for his knockout loss to Ngannou in their first meeting, but also set himself up for a title run in the near future.