Although Stipe Miocic has faced Francis Ngannou in the past and has been open to a trilogy fight, this may never come to fruition.
The two fighters have been at it twice in the octagon. In their first encounter, Miocic defeated Ngannou, but the Cameroonian got his revenge in their second meetup. He defeated Miocic with a second-round knockout and captured the UFC heavyweight championship.
Miocic was supposed to get another shot at Ngannou, but the promotion matched him up with Ciryl Gane instead. Ngannou left the promotion shortly after his fight and opted for boxing.
“I was trying. I was trying to get the rematch,” Miocic said about pursuing the Ngannou trilogy when speaking to MMA Fighting. “Then he left, and it didn’t happen, unfortunately.
“Listen, I’m a fighter. I don’t work for the UFC internally and [figuring] out matchmaking. It’s what they wanted to do and it’s what they did.”
“Yeah, of course [I was bummed] because I wanted the rubber match,” Miocic said. “But also, at the same point, he’s doing better for himself and his family. I’m not mad at him. He’s doing great.”
Despite wanting a third chance at Ngannou, Miocic is happy Ngannou went on to pursue his dreams. The fighter is proud of the Cameroonian for not only taking an opportunity but also facing two of the top boxers, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. Although he lost both of the matches, Miocic is proud of the fighter for taking a chance.
“I saw clips of it,” Miocic said about the boxing matches. “The first one he did well with Fury, and unfortunately, the second one didn’t go well with Joshua. But it happens. It’s fighting. Anything can happen.
“Some people said he won [against Fury]. I didn’t see the whole fight but a lot of people said he won the fight. He put him down. He did a lot of things. Listen, he convinced that many people that he could [beat him]. Shows that we can hang.”
Ngannou and the UFC parted on rocky terms, so there is little to no chance that Miocic will ever get to settle the score.
“Listen, I’m OK with letting go,” Miocic said. “I get it. As much as I would love to fight him, I wish him nothing but the best and it is what it is. We’re 1-1. That’s the way it will be. He got the last one unfortunately.”
