Francis Ngannou meets ex-champ Junior Dos Santos at UFC 215 in Edmonton
A heavyweight bout between Francis Ngannou and former champion Junior Dos Santos is the latest addition to September’s UFC 215 lineup.UFC officials today announced the bout between Ngannou (10-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Dos Santos (18-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) following an initial report from the Edmonton Journal.
UFC 215 takes place Sept. 9 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass, though the bout order hasnt been finalized.Ngannou is riding a divisional best five-fight UFC winning streak. He’s finished all of his octagon victories inside the distance, with his most recent performance a 92-second TKO of another former UFC champion, Andrei Arlovski, at UFC on FOX 23 in January.
Although Ngannou was pushing for a fight against either Cain Velasquez or Alistair Overeem, he gets another prominent name in Dos Santos.Despite coming off a first-round knockout loss to Stipe Miocic in a heavyweight title fight at UFC 211 in May, Dos Santos was eager to make a quick turnaround to action. He had a 13-month layoff prior to the encounter with Miocic and wanted to engage in a more active schedule in the fallout.
The former champ makes a dangerous play by fighting a rising star, but “Cigano” has never lost back-to-back fights and surely won’t want to start at UFC 215.
Also added to the card was a light heavyweight bout between Ilir Latifi (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) and Tyson Pedro (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC).
The latest UFC 215 lineup includes:
- Francis Ngannou vs. Junior Dos Santos
- Ilir Latifi vs. Tyson Pedro
- Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis
- Rick Glenn vs. Gavin Tucker
- Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Sarah Moras
- Arjan Bhullar vs. Luis Henrique
For more on UFC 215, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
April 10, 2016; Zagreb, Croatia; Francis Ngannou reacts after he is declared the winner by TKO against Curtis Blaydes during UFC Fight Night at Zagreb Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
April 10, 2016; Zagreb, Croatia; Francis Ngannou fights against Curtis Blaydes during UFC Fight Night at Zagreb Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
April 10, 2016; Zagreb, Croatia; Francis Ngannou moves in with a punch against Curtis Blaydes during UFC Fight Night at Zagreb Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
April 10, 2016; Zagreb, Croatia; Francis Ngannou reacts after he wins by TKO against Curtis Blaydes during UFC Fight Night at Zagreb Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
December 19, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Francis Ngannou celebrates his knockout victory against Luis Henrique during UFC Fight Night at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
December 19, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Francis Ngannou is stopped by the official following his knockout against Luis Henrique during UFC Fight Night at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
December 19, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Francis Ngannou moves in with a punch against Luis Henrique during UFC Fight Night at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
December 19, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Francis Ngannou moves in with a punch against Luis Henrique during UFC Fight Night at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Francis Ngannou (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Andrei Arlovski (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Andrei Arlovski (red gloves) competes against Francis Ngannou (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Andrei Arlovski (red gloves) competes against Francis Ngannou (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Andrei Arlovski (red gloves) competes against Francis Ngannou (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 9, 2016; Albany, NY, USA; Francis Ngannou (red gloves) gestures in a fight with Anthony Hamilton during UFC Fight Night at Times Union Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Adamucci-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 9, 2016; Albany, NY, USA; Anthony Hamilton (blue gloves) fights Francis Ngannou (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Times Union Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Adamucci-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 9, 2016; Albany, NY, USA; Anthony Hamilton (blue gloves) fights Francis Ngannou (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Times Union Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Adamucci-USA TODAY Sports
July 23, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Francis Ngannou (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Bojan Mihajlovic (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
July 23, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Francis Ngannou (red gloves) pins Bojan Mihajlovic (blue gloves) to the mat and wins by TKO during UFC Fight Night at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Francis Ngannou during weigh ins for UFC Fight Night at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Francis Ngannou during weigh ins for UFC Fight Night at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports