Dana White hopes to see a UFC heavyweight championship rematch in the first quarter of next year.
White is aiming to book a rematch between titleholder Stipe Miocic and contender Francis Ngannou for March 2021, he told TMZ in an interview Monday.
“That fight won’t be ready till March,” White said. “… It could (happen). Yeah, that’s the goal. We’ll see what happens.”
White did not hint at a specific date, location, or provide any further details.
Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) most recently fought in August when he finished Daniel Cormier with strikes in the fourth round of a trilogy rubber-match. With the victory, Miocic reclaimed his title from Cormier, who had knocked him out at UFC 229 in July 2019.
In the weeks that followed his successful return, Miocic expressed a lack of interest in facing Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) a second time, having already beaten the Cameroonian heavyweight once.
The two fought at UFC 220 in January 2018, when Miocic defeated Ngannou by unanimous decision. Miocic broke the record for most consecutive title defenses at heavyweight with three.
Since the defeat to Miocic, Ngannou has lost to Derrick Lewis but has also bounced back with four straight finishes over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and most recently Jairzinho Rozenstruik. He’s currently ranked as the No. 1 contender in the UFC’s official heavyweight rankings.
