A pair of potential title eliminators were at the top of the bill of the UFC’s long-awaited return to Minneapolis this past Saturday.
In the UFC on ESPN 3 main event at Target Center, Francis Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) shut down former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos (21-6 MMA, 15-5 UFC) in a hurry with a TKO and may have punched his ticket to be next in line for a title shot.
And in the co-feature, two-time flyweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez (28-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) took out Jussier Formiga (23-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the second round in a rematch from nearly six years ago. Benavidez may have left no doubt who should be next for a shot at Henry Cejudo’s 125-pound belt.
In the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA rankings, Ngannou’s win gave him a big leap from No. 6 at heavyweight to No. 3, just behind champion Daniel Cormier and former champ Stipe Miocic – who rematch next month in California.
And though Benavidez can’t really push past No. 3 at flyweight with champ Cejudo at No. 1 and former champ Demetrious Johnson, who holds two wins over Benavidez, at No. 2, at the very least he was able crack into our pound-for-pound rankings.
To see those updates and more, check out the latest edition of our rankings.
