UFC 260: Francis Ngannou must display unseen evolution of his game to get past Stipe Miocic and secure title – CBS Sports

The most incredible -- if not scary -- thing about UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou is that even if he hasn't improved at all in the areas that fueled his 2018 title defeat to Stipe Miocic, or if it's even possible he somehow got worse, the native of Cameroon could still exit the Octagon on Saturday as the next UFC champion.

Of all the great power punchers and devastating strikers in the nearly 30-year history of the UFC, none have been as menacing as the 6-foot-4 "Predator," who has recorded finishes -- often of the extremely violent variety -- in all of his 10 victories since making his Octagon debut in 2015.

Riding a four-fight win streak in which he logged less than three minutes of total cage time, Ngannou (15-3) will get a second crack at the heavyweight crown Miocic (20-3) regained in 2019 when the pair of sluggers headline UFC 260 inside the Apex facility in Las Vegas.

The central theme surrounding this weekend's fight is an easy one to understand: how much has Ngannou improved from the standpoint of wrestling, conditioning and fight IQ since his largely remedial performance (save for an exciting first round) in a five-round unanimous decision loss to Miocic at UFC 220? But it's the answer to that question that is anything but easy to take a stab at.

Despite six consecutive stoppage wins to open his UFC career, including a first-round KO via uppercut against Alistair Overeem that might be the sport's most brutal finish to date, Ngannou was rushed into the title shot by UFC brass against Miocic, largely in hopes it had uncovered MMA's answer to Mike Tyson of the 1980s.

Not only was Ngannou's game not ready for someone as well-rounded and seasoned as Miocic, the aftermath would prove that he wasn't ready for the pressure either. The fallout of UFC 220 saw Ngannou publicly spar with UFC president Dana White, who accused him of being a diva after Ngannou produced a lifeless performance in a forgettable decision loss to Derrick Lewis six months later that was completely devoid of action.

To Ngannou's credit, he humbly returned to the gym at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and took a long look at what was missing from his game, his preparation and his mindset.

"After the Stipe fight, I realized a lot of things. I took a step back and tried to look at that side and try and see all the mistakes and all I did wrong," Ngannou told CBS Sports in November. "I also began to understand many aspects of this sport that I never knew because, growing up, I had never been a competitor or an athlete. I had to learn everything from the bottom and I took a lot from that fight. I learned a lot from that fight and I keep learning."

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Now 34, Ngannou's path to the status of elite UFC fighter remains unique unto itself. He left his native Cameroon for Paris at the age of 26 to pursue a career in professional boxing, although the journey in getting there was anything but simple.

Traveling from Cameroon to Morocco took Ngannou one full year spent illegally crossing borders, living in the bush and surviving on food he literally picked from trash. His first attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea and enter Europe illegally was met with a two-month jail sentence in Spain.

With no money or a place to live, Ngannou was homeless for months and living in parking lots upon his arrival in Paris. He eventually joined forces with MMA Factory gym where his boxing hopes were transitioned into that of MMA.

What's most incredible is that only three months after he began training, Ngannou had his first pro fight and would go on to make his UFC debut just two years later. Yet while Ngannou's remarkable backstory shows just how much room for growth he still has as a pro fighter, it doesn't necessarily fill in the blanks regarding whether or not he will prove able to stop the 38-year-old Miocic from repeatedly taking him down in their rematch.

"I think what has changed is just me, the young fighter, improving because despite my age, I'm still very young sport-wise," Ngannou said. "I just started fighting like seven years ago so I think I still have a big pace of improvement in my game. That's what makes me believe in myself and think I can do something very big in this sport. Other than other guys, I still have a big space of improvement."

Although Ngannou's impressive four-fight knockout streak came against a mixture of elite foes and former champions -- Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik -- none lasted beyond 71 seconds against his punching power.

Asked on Tuesday during an interview on "Morning Kombat" how much he believes Ngannou's ground game and conditioning have improved, Miocic was understandably uncertain.

"I don't know [but] I will find out. If it happens, I'll let you know when we get down there," Miocic said. "But wherever it goes, I'll be fine. If it stays on the feet, I'll be fine. If it goes onto the ground, I'll be fine. Nothing is going to change. I have a great game plan and I'm conditioned and I'm ready. I've done everything I need to do to win this fight and that's what I'm going to do."

Ngannou will have UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman as a cornerman on Saturday, which Miocic believes suggests a focus on wrestling should be implied. From Ngannou's perspective, he can only improve from 2018 when Miocic gassed him out early and spent the final four rounds largely laying on top of him and controlling the action with ease.

"Even when I wasn't fighting [last year,] I have been training wrestling and jiu-jitsu and started understanding stuff and I found it very fascinating because it was a thing I didn't know before," Ngannou said. "It's very exciting to see how much more I can improve."

Yet for all this talk about wrestling and the potential of what Ngannou might look like should the fight extend to the championship rounds, there's always the possibility that it's a moot point. In fact, just like ahead of their first meeting, oddsmakers still prefer Ngannou and his menacing power as the betting favorite.

It's a reality that Miocic must face -- for the second time. Although he went on to largely dominate Ngannou and used his speed advantage to land heavy right hands in the opening round, Miocic was forced to walk through hell early on to get there and exited the fight with major swelling around his left eye.

"He hits hard, no question. He does bring the power, but if I keep my hands up and my chin down, I'll be good," Miocic said. "We all get hit, it's a fight. Unfortunately, I get touched up easily so if you flick me, I'll have bruises. He does hit hard but I just need to weather that storm and I will be good.

"I have good speed and I think that I have gotten faster as I have gotten older. I squashed a few [pounds] and I think I have got more efficient. I feel good."

Even if Ngannou is unable to explain the source of his other worldly power, it's certainly the main reason he has gotten this far in such an alarmingly short period of time. But will he need more than that to best Miocic in his second chance at UFC glory?

Only time will tell on Saturday.

"I don't know, so sometimes I am kind of surprised by [my power] myself," Ngannou said. "It's like, 'OK, that's it? [The fight] is over? What went wrong?' But obviously, that's it.

"That's what I want to prove, [that I can wrestle]. That's what I want to really check. It will be different this time."

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UFC 260: Francis Ngannou must display unseen evolution of his game to get past Stipe Miocic and secure title - CBS Sports