The UFC’s return to Minneapolis didn’t feature any title fights, but there were two crucial bouts at each end of the weight-class spectrum.
In the UFC on ESPN 3 main event at Target Center this past Saturday, Francis Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) took out former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos (21-6 MMA, 15-5 UFC) in just 71 seconds. It was his third straight first-round knockout after back-to-back losses. Was it enough to make him next in line for a title shot against the winner of champ Daniel Cormier and former champ Stipe Miocic?
In the co-feature, two-time flyweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez (28-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) beat Jussier Formiga (23-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) for a second time. Benavidez survived a first-round cut to once again stop Formiga with a second-round TKO. And he may be next in line for a shot at Henry Cejudo’s 125-pound belt.
What did those two key fights mean for our rankings? In our new weekly video feature, the MMA Junkie Rankings Report, John Morgan walks you through the implications from UFC on ESPN 3.
Check it out in the video above.
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN 3, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
