Francis Ngannou has spent more than 30 minutes locked into a cage with Stipe Miocic.
The two former UFC heavyweight title rivals were involved in one of the more memorable championship tilts in recent UFC history, drawing their two-fight series at one win apiece — the most recent of which was Ngannou’s second round knockout of Miocic in their UFC 260 main event from the UFC’s Apex facility back in the pandemic days of March 2021.
But while their rivalry was a fierce one, a level of respect between the two fighters has since become apparent — and after Miocic confirmed speculation that he would be hanging up his 4oz gloves following last weekend’s UFC 309 main event fight with Jon Jones, Ngannou issued a statement online to congratulate Miocic on a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
Thank you, champion @stipemiocic , for all you’ve done for our sport and, above all, for the class you embody and the example you set. I’m grateful for how our battles have shaped me into a better fighter; those moments taught me more than years in the sport.
Enjoy your… pic.twitter.com/QAzR4uX94Y— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 17, 2024
“Thank you, champion,” Ngannou wrote in post to the social network previously known as Twitter, “for all you’ve done for our sport and, above all, for the class you embody and the example you set.
“I’m grateful for how our battles have shaped me into a better fighter; those moments taught me more than years in the sport. Enjoy your well-earned retirement and best wishes for all your future endeavours.”
Miocic was the first fighter in the UFC to hand defeat to Ngannou, using his grappling to record a five-round decision over the surging Ngannou back in January 2018. The defeat was a pivotal one for Ngannou, who would use that (as well as a subsequent loss to Derrick Lewis) as a platform to improve his skills to a championship level.
