Francis Ngannou is a man on a mission, and currently his primary objective is a fight with fellow heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov.
“The Predator” took to Twitter on Saturday to propose a matchup with the Russian at UFC 246, which is scheduled for Jan. 18 in Las Vegas. As it stands now, Ngannou vs. Volkov could conceivably make a solid co-main event for a pay-per-view card headlined by Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone.
“What’s your schedule for [Jan. 18] look like?” Ngannou wrote to Volkov. “Let me offer you a free trip to the most entertaining city in the world.”
@AlexDragoVolkov What’s your schedule for January 18th looks like?! Let me offer you a free trip in the most entertaining city in the world ( @LasVegas ). #UFC246 @ufc#whathappensinvegas
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 30, 2019
It’s not the first time Ngannou has called out Volkov. The Frenchman began his pursuit of the Russian after Volkov vanquished Greg Hardy at UFC Fight Night 163 on Nov. 10, implying that Volkov had turned down a fight against him in the past.
Well done Volkov .
Let’s go now and please don’t turn this down again.#UFCMoscow #UNCROWNEDCHAMP— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 9, 2019
Ngannou is currently on a three-bout winning streak that includes first-round finishes of Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. While that would normally put him in line for a heavyweight title shot, it appears that the UFC wants to book a trilogy fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier at some point in 2020, and Ngannou would prefer to stay active in the meantime.