Bettors backing Ngannou ‘Inside the Distance’ in every one of his UFC fights have gone: 10-2, +8.21 units, a profit of +$68 per fight, win or lose. There is little to no uncertainty to the fact, that if you plan on betting on Francis Ngannou anytime soon, the ‘Inside the Distance’ prop is the best bet when it comes to overall value. Heavyweights Francis ‘The Predator’ Ngannou and Cain Velasquez will headline the UFC’s first ever main card to be shown on ESPN. Ngannou ripped off six consecutive wins during 2015-2017 upon joining the UFC, but his hype train was quickly derailed by Stipe Miocic during a decisive five-round decision loss.

• Stipe Miocic v Francis Ngannou - Method of Victory. Get the best available UFC/MMA odds from all online bookmakers with Oddschecker, the home of betting value.
• Early odds on most betting sites have Ngannou as a -150 favorite. Miocic is the underdog in a range from +125 to +130. That means a bet of $1,000 on Miocic could net you a payout of $2,300.
• Francis Ngannou could have some big fights ahead of him. And if they’re booked, the oddsmakers like his chances right now. Betting site BetOnline.ag released odds for prospective matchups.

The first heavyweight fight of Jon Jones' storied MMA career will have a UFC championship on the line.

UFC president Dana White said this week that Jones (26-1) will face the winner of a heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, which is scheduled to headline UFC 260 on March 27. This has been the expectation since Jones vacated his light heavyweight championship last August and announced a pending move to heavyweight, but White has now confirmed the plan.

'We could have that fight [Jones versus the winner of Miocic, Ngannou] this summer,' White told TMZ of a potential time frame for the bout.

Jones, 33, became the youngest champion in UFC history in 2011, when he won the 205-pound title at age 23. He was stripped of the title twice for disciplinary and drug-testing reasons -- in 2015 and 2017 -- however all of his appearances since 2001 have been with a championship on the line.

Fighting out of Albuquerque, Jones has never fought at heavyweight but has teased a potential move multiple times over the course of his career.

UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou II Picks

When: Saturday, March 27, 2021

Where: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada

TV: PPV

UFC 260 on March 27 will be a big PPV event, featuring two of the best big men in the business in a long-awaited rematch. In January 2018, Stipe Miocic defended his title against Ngannou in a 5-round unanimous decision. But with Ngannou having gotten back to the business of annihilating top heavyweight contenders, he is back in a position to give it another go. In the interim, Miocic won the last two fights in his Daniel Cormier trilogy, regaining his title and now looking to repeat his previous win. Who can come out on the winning side this time?

Fight Analysis:

Stipe Miocic, 20-3 (15 KOs), (+130) vs. Francis Ngannou, 15-3 (11 KOs, 4 Submissions), (-150)

Stipe Miocic defends his UFC Heavyweight Title against top contender Francis Ngannou in the UFC 260 main event on March 27 in Las Vegas. Since beating Ngannou a little over three years ago, Miocic lost his belt to Cormier, won it back, and then defended it against “DC” in the rubber match. Ngannou looked affected by his loss to Miocic with a bizarre showing against Derrick Lewis in his next fight. Since then, however, he has liquidated a quartet of contenders in Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. That he beat those four men isn’t what stands out, but the fact that Ngannou took a total of 2 minutes and 43 seconds to render those four senseless deserves some attention.

It’s never that difficult to make a case for Ngannou. Built like a gladiator, he lashes out with strikes that cannot be withstood. He is an absolute killer in the octagon, and it’s hard to remember another fighter rendering this many contenders jelly on the canvas in such short order. It’s really a sight to behold, and you sometimes get the feeling that if he even partially lands with any of those blockbuster shots, it can be curtains.

In their first fight, Miocic was able to weather the early onslaught. He incorporated some wrestling, made it a little messy, and threw sharp counters to keep Ngannou honest. But we did see what can happen when a fighter scores a bunch of quick knockouts. Sure, it looks fearsome, and it gets a lot of attention. In a five-rounder, however, other assets need to be called upon to get to the winner’s circle. We’re talking about mettle, stamina, durability, and a vision for winning a fight when Plan A isn’t working.

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Truth be told, the way Ngannou lost that fight speaks well of him in some respects. While he ran out of answers, he hung tough for the full 25 minutes, taking some hellacious shots in the process. He didn’t melt. He didn’t go away. He took his medicine like a man, and it actually boosts his prospects in this fight. After all, against a younger Miocic who was in his prime and having run out of a way to realistically win the fight, Ngannou wouldn’t be stopped.

In the interim, Ngannou, 34, four years younger than Miocic, has gained some experience and continued to hone his craft. For the purposes of winning a five-rounder, however, it’s unclear what he has done to further his cause. We again see him ending fights with shocking quickness, flaunting his heavy strikes, but still leaving questions of what happens when his power doesn’t win the day.

More Picks: Get Loot’s betting opinion on two other UFC 260 fights >>>

One thing in Ngannou’s favor is the advanced state of Miocic. There’s a chance that he’s a little more-brittle than he was before when they first fought. While Ngannou has taken almost no punishment since, Miocic has had three fights with Cormier, which will add a lot of miles on one’s odometer. He was knocked out in the first fight, and while he deserves all kinds of kudos for twice avenging that loss, perhaps his chin is more exploitable than it was three years ago.

The battle lines are pretty clear. The longer this fight goes, the better it is for Miocic. But he barely was able to avoid the heavy fists of Ngannou the first time, and it’s not going to be a cinch this time. Sure, Miocic’s combination of wrestling and boxing expertise, along with his toughness, resolve, chin, and determination, were all key parts of the win in the first fight. And those things are still in play. But it’s an older Miocic now against a fighter who might employ varied tactics to avoid the early flameout.

Also boosting Ngannou’s stock is that he can take it. He has shown that before, sponging punishment in a rather one-way fight and going the distance with Stipe. With the knowledge that he can endure Miocic’s punishment even when things aren’t going his way, maybe he can put himself in a position to be more-viable if this gets out of the first round. Ngannou knows what he’s up against this time. Against Miocic, you can’t go out there and expect to blow him away. It could happen, but at the championship level, a solid Plan B is really going to give your championship hopes a big jolt.

I’m not so sure Miocic can avoid that initial onslaught this time, however. Granted, this is a fight where you can make a great case for Ngannou, only to see his first-round attack fall flat before he slows to a crawl in another landslide win for Miocic. That happened before, and therefore, a position on it happening again is hardly out-of-order. I suspect, however, that time has been kinder to Ngannou overall. In terms of each fighter’s overall career trajectory, Ngannou might be at his peak, while Miocic’s best fighting is probably in the rearview. I’m picking Francis Ngannou to win.

My Pick to Win: I’m betting on Francis Ngannou to win at -150 betting odds. Despite the result of their first fight, Ngannou still showed he can hang in there with Miocic. With Miocic three years older and with time running short on his hourglass, I suspect the time is right this time for Ngannou. Did you know that you can bet on UFC fights while they’re in progress? It’s a super exciting way to bet! Find this awesome offer at Bovada Sportsbook! Your credit card will work for deposits there and they’ll give you a 50% real cash bonus too!

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