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Henry Cejudo isn’t the only fighter looking absolutely jacked leading into UFC 249 this Saturday (May 9, 2020).
Francis Ngannou may not be fighting Jairzinho Rozenstruik for the Heavyweight (or interim) title, but it looks like he’s taken his training to championship levels regardless. We’ve wondered how in or out of shape many fighters will be as UFC returns to action, and in Ngannou’s case he’s used the nearly two-month quarantine period to get completely shredded.
“The Predator” shared this image on social media:
Ready to spread my wings and fly #flexfriday @puna185 pic.twitter.com/JwxorD43OU
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) May 1, 2020
People following his Twitter account have noted just how ripped Francis is looking in the past couple of weeks.
Less than 2 weeks #MondayMotivation #UNCROWNEDCHAMP pic.twitter.com/Zvtn6zJnQj
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 27, 2020
#FitnessWithFrancis Home Boxing Workout focus on speed is live on my YouTube channel
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 15, 2020
https://t.co/m5uMYi2rt3 pic.twitter.com/m8p87uC2J2
Ngannou showed off the practical side of his strength recently with a video where he lifted the 330-pound Shaq above his head with ease. We’ll see how that translates into the cage against the 250-pound “Bigi Boy” Rozenstruik, who comes into their fight undefeated with four knockouts in four UFC fights.
Over before it started!@JairRozenstruik has SERIOUS power! #UFC244 pic.twitter.com/4nzxSMTWSn
— UFC (@ufc) November 3, 2019
Still throwing as he enters deep water @JairRozenstruik #UFCDC pic.twitter.com/l7XjUNcYSt
— UFC (@ufc) December 8, 2019
Ngannou is on his own impressive streak as well. After dropping back-to-back losses to champ Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis, “The Predator” has knocked out his past three opponents, all the more impressive considering his last two foes were Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
With UFC trying to clear out a backlog of headlining fights from canceled cards, Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik isn’t the main or even co-main event for UFC 249. Instead, it sits in the middle portion of the PPV card that has amazing fights like Cerrone vs. Pettis and Werdum vs. Oleynik on ESPN’s “Prelims” undercard.
Even with all the uncertainty at the top of the division with champ Miocic concentrating on his first responder duties and Daniel Cormier waiting in the wings, it’s hard to imagine an impressive performance from Ngannou or Rozenstruik not earning the winner a title shot.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 249 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+/Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN+/ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 249: “Ferguson vs. Gaethje” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.