Francis
Ngannou just knocked off one interim heavyweight champion when
he defeated Ciryl Gane
in a title unification bout at UFC 270 this past January.
He may very well have to do it again when he returns from knee
surgery. Shortly after Ngannou took a five-round verdict over Gane,
his manager revealed that “The Predator” would undergo surgery to
repair injuries to his MCL and ACL suffered in training ahead of
that bout. The ensuing recovery process would require at least nine
months. Ngannou underwent the procedure on Friday in Los Angeles,
which included a full reconstruction on his ACL.
At the UFC Fight Night 204 post-fight press conference on Saturday,
Dana White acknowledged the possibility that another interim
heavyweight belt could be created in Ngannou’s absence.
“It’s very possible,” White said. “We find out this week [how long
he’s out].
“If nine months is true, if it’s going to take nine months for him
to get cleared to start training again. That’s almost a year before
he would fight. So yeah, we would do an interim title.”
There’s also the matter of Ngannou’s contract. He completed his
eight-fight deal with the Las Vegas-based promotion at UFC 270, but
a champion’s clause makes things any pending free agency more
complicated. Additionally, White has seemed confident that both
sides will come to an agreement eventually.