A heavyweight title will be on the line at UFC 265. It just won’t be the one currently held by reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Francis Ngannou.
First reported by ESPN, and then confirmed by MMAFighting, Derrick Lewis vs Ciryl Gane will be the new headliner of the August 7 event, and interim heavyweight gold will be on the line. The booking is a major surprise considering Ngannou just became the division’s figurehead only four months ago,. After a destructive second-round victory over former two-time champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 260.
Derrick Lewis vs Ciryl Gane to headline UFC 265 in August
However, the next chapter in the championship’s story has seen some turmoil since it changed hands in March. All manner of rumors have linked the new division king with title defenses against Lewis, a trilogy fight with Miocic, and even in a mega-fight with former light heavyweight demigod Jon Jones. Yet, a pen was never put to paper, and official announcements were not made on who “The Predator’s” first title defense will come against. After today’s announcement, that question still remains.
Despite the stunning matchmaking, a case could certainly be made that Lewis and Gane–who just scored his ninth straight win in the main event of UFC Vegas 30 on Saturday afternoon–are deserving challengers to immediate title bouts. “The Black Beast,” 36, has won four straight, three of those against ranked opponents, and the most recent of which came in a thunderous second round knockout over fourth-ranked standout Curtis Blaydes.
Along with his win inside the UFC Apex this past weekend, the 31-year-old has not yet tasted defeat over his first nine mixed martial arts bouts. His last three victories came over legends and top-10 talent in Junior Dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Alexander Volkov. Those W’ have elevated “Bon Gamin’s” status in the division to an elite level.
The question now is, when will we next see Ngannou, 34, in the Octagon and against who? Based on his tweets following the title fight revelation, he seems to be just as perplexed as fans, his coach, and fellow fighters are.
UFC 265 takes place inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event includes a women’s bantamweight title fight co-main event between two-division queen Amanda Nunes and Juliana Pena. As well as a bantamweight featured bout pitting eighth-ranked Pedro Munhoz versus fourth-ranked former featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
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