A lot of great things have happened to UFC over the years, including New York legislation, a landmark television deal with FOX, and a $4 billion sale to Endeavor, just to name a few. But those historic achievements pale in comparison to the knockout punch Francis Ngannou landed on Stipe Miocic in the UFC 260 main event.
That’s according to ESPN mouthpiece Stephen A. Smith.
“I caught your knockout on Saturday,” Smith told Ngannou on First Take. “I called it the greatest thing that’s ever happened to the UFC because when you’re the heavyweight champion of the world and you come into the Octagon with bad intentions like Mike Tyson did in boxing, like George Foreman did before him, that’s the greatest thing for a pugilistic sport.”
I would call it the greatest thing to ever happen … last weekend.
Ngannou has yet to make a single title defense so it’s too early to tell what kind of reign “The Predator” will have, or how well the promotion can monetize it. Right now, the biggest concern for Dana White and Co. is locking down the next heavyweight title contender, which appears to have been narrowed down to either Jon Jones or Derrick Lewis.