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.