Either it was gonna be a very long night for Francis Ngannou or it was going to be a very short night for Cain Velasquez. And it was one of the shortest nights of either’s career, as “The Predator” landed a short shot on the inside during a scramble.
Velasquez started off with the right strategy. Throwing lots of kicks attempting to keep range. As soon as the knockout artist moved in, Cain went low for the takedown, but Ngannou shrugged it off spinning around putting his back to the fence.
For a second, it appeared that Ngannou was about to re-live his worst nightmare –the haunting defeat to Stipe Miocic was mostly fought against the fence. And Cain is the worst fighters to be in that position against. Velasquez, not wanting to have to find a second chance to get through the punching range of Ngannou, continued with the pressure, chaining off of the failed takedown attempt.
And in a blink, Ngannou landed a swift shot that nobody saw, dropping Cain to his knees before he had the chance to get his chest pressed up against his opponents. The way Velasquez flopped, it appeared that he was out cold, and after a few follow-up shots, that thankfully didn’t land too clean, the ref waved it off.
Every heavyweight on the planet took notice. They would have been stupid not to notice him before, but what Francis Ngannou showed Sunday tonight was evolution and a type of power almost unheard of. All of his knockout blows so far have come from the outside. Full torque swings connecting. This was a quick shot other fighters only throw to score points. He barely even moved his shoulders, just threw his fist from about a foot away.
On the replay, we saw that after Cain dropped in the scramble, he hurt his knee, visibly yelling before he even hit the ground. He got dropped no matter how you look at it, and one could argue the knee actually saved him from unnecessary head trauma. As tough as Cain Velasquez is, Ngannou was fresh, the ending time was only 26 seconds. And it was clear even light shots from the rising star do damage. It still makes you wonder what if? Cain was dropped but was cognitive all the way through. Maybe he could have scrambled, but that is the nature of MMA. What happens is what happens, and the result is what it is.
The very classy Velasquez didn’t say he was retiring, though, and for that reason, as I already stated, perhaps it was best he didn’t suffer any more unnecessary punishment.
But for now, the night belonged to Francis Ngannou and his noticeable improvements. He looked loose from the start, like he did against Curtis Blaydes, and wasn’t afraid to move forward anymore. There are still questions about whether or not he can survive if someone gets on the inside and pressures him the whole fight. Only time will tell how he can, but with his movement, confidence, and improving takedown defense, it may be a long time before we see anybody get the chance to do something like that to him again.
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