If the UFC has its way, Saturday will mark the final UFC pay-per-view at the UFC Apex for the foreseeable future. A rematch between heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and the No. 1 ranked challenger, Francis Ngannou headlines the UFC 260 fight card.
The initial meeting between these two came back in January of 2018. Miocic won that fight by decision. With the win, Miocic became the first UFC heavyweight champion to defend the title three consecutive times.
The bulk of the fight was a one-sided affair. Miocic used his wrestling skills to control the ‘Predator,’ landing six takedowns on 14 attempts during the 25-minute contest. Eventually Miocic finished the bout with over 15 minutes of control time. More than that, he limited Ngannou to just 21 landed significant strikes while scoring 70 significant strikes of his own.
Since that loss (and a terrible bout with Derrick Lewis) Ngannou is on a four-fight winning streak. The title challenger won each of those contests by first-round knockout.
Daniel Cormier took the title from Miocic after the former champ’s win over Ngannou. Miocic regained the heavyweight crown in 2019 in a rematch with Cormier. He then defended the title against Cormier in a 2020 trilogy bout.
UFC 260 takes place on Saturday. The pay-per-view card streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ and early prelims on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.
Below is a look at how the two fighters in the main event of UFC 260 compare in some key stats.
UFC 260 head-to-head: Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou
| Stat | Miocic | Ngannou |
|---|---|---|
| Stat | Miocic | Ngannou |
| Sig. Strikes Landed Per Min. | 4.9 | 2.23 |
| Striking Accuracy | 52% | 37% |
| Strikes Absorbed Per Minute | 3.75 | 2.03 |
| Striking Defense | 55% | 47% |
| Takedown Avg./15 min | 1.92 | 0 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 34% | 0% |
| Takedown Defense | 70% | 71% |
| Submission Average Per 15 min | 0 | 0.5 |
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