Things may finally start to move in the UFC’s heavyweight division soon.
Current champion Stipe Miocic last competed in August when he outpointed Daniel Cormier in their trilogy fight to retain his title.
Miocic was expected to face Francis Ngannou in a rematch next with the latter currently on a four-fight winning streak and eagerly waiting to get his chance for a while now.
And despite initially wanting a December date, Ngannou will have to settle for March as that is what the UFC is currently targeting according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
No deal is complete yet but Helwani adds the UFC is also hoping to book the winner of the title fight against former light heavyweight king Jon Jones in the summer.
Jones, of course, is set to make his heavyweight debut next year after vacating his 205-pound title and finally making the long-awaited move up. Many observers are split as to whether he should get a top-ranked contender first or be slotted into an immediate title fight at heavyweight.
Given the planned timeline, it’s always possible Jones could fight a contender at around the same time as the Miocic vs. Ngannou date or even earlier.
However, if one is to speculate, it appears more likely that he will be slotted into a title fight for his divisional debut. That makes the upcoming heavyweight title fight that much bigger as a meeting with Jones would undoubtedly be a lucrative one.
The UFC 259 pay-per-view takes place March 6 and would be the likeliest date and card for a Miocic vs. Ngannou rematch. Miocic outpointed Ngannou when they met in the UFC 220 headliner in January 2018.
