Francis Ngannou is Now a Big -260 Favorite Against Jon Jones

Francis Ngaanou’s odds against Jon Jones has moved from -160 last year to -260 after UFC 260.
Ngannou brutally knocked out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 last Saturday.
Jones has been preparing to fight at heavyweight and is considered as the favorite to land the next Ngannou fight.

Ngannou was a slight -160 betting favorite against Jones’ +130 when they first feuded on Twitter in May 2020:

Seemed so real Francis, all that power means nothing when your hay makers are too slow. I’m not most my friend https://t.co/co6uSqzRSm
— BONY (@JonnyBones) May 14, 2020

But after Ngannou annihilated Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, there was a dramatic movement in the betting odds for that potential heavyweight showdown. Per TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, the Predator is now a sizeable -260 betting favorite against Bones:

Pretty dramatic line movement for Ngannou vs. Jones following UFC 260.
Jones is currently a +175 underdog, the biggest underdog number he has had.
The closest was his debut against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87 on August 9, 2008 (mean odds: +169) pic.twitter.com/HgnBu4t9qu
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 28, 2021

According to Bronsteter, Jones latest +175 odds would represent the largest plus money on the former light heavyweight champion. Jones has been underdog once in his UFC career, and that was during his Octagon debut against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87 on August 9, 2008 when Bones entered the fight with a mean odds of +169.

That’s saying a lot about Ngannou, really. But after how he made easy work of the man believed to be the GOAT of the heavyweight division, you can’t blame the best UFC betting sites for being very high on Ngannou right now.

An “Oh My!” Moment

Francis Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic in the second round to win the #UFC heavyweight championship.
Oh my. #UFC260 pic.twitter.com/wshl158jeI
— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) March 28, 2021

“Oh My!” Or “Good Lord!” were just two of the expressions that were used to describe Ngaanou’s vicious knockout of Miocic last Saturday night. We’ve seen so many spectacular knockouts in the past. We’ve witnessed walk-off or one-punch knockouts before. But we’ve never seen a fighter take away his opponent’s soul inside the Octagon. That’s perhaps the best way to describe what Ngannou did to Miocic at UFC 260.

When they first fought at UFC 220 on January 20, 2018, Miocic dominated Nganou by taking the fight to the ground. The former champion completed six out of 14 takedowns to tire Ngannou on the mat and take away his biggest strength. With Ngannou unable to unload his bombs, Miocic controlled the fight and won via easy decision.

However, Ngannou came prepared last weekend. Not only did he try to initiate the striking exchanges, the Predator also stuffed Miocic’s first and only takedown attempt with a sprawl that led to him taking Miocic’s back and punishing the ex-champ with victorious punches to the head. That sequence was the turning point of the fight. From then on, it was only a matter of time when Ngannou would take off Miocic’s head.

NCAA Division I Wrestler

UFC champion and former Cleveland State wrestler Stipe Miocic faces Francis Ngannou Saturday at UFC 260. Last year @RichardAMann provided a deep dive into the wrestling career of Miocic. https://t.co/Rtyi1YdNbq pic.twitter.com/O8dAW4nSuU
— InterMat (@InterMat) March 25, 2021

Aside from holding the record for most successful title defenses as UFC heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic’s decorated resume includes being a former NCAA Division I wrestler at Cleveland State University and a Golden Gloves boxing champion. With his rare mix of elite boxing and elite wrestling, it’s easy to see why Miocic found success inside the Octagon.

Everyone knows that Francis Ngannou hits like a truck. But outside that freakish punching power, nobody knew what else he had in the arsenal entering UFC 260. The only times Ngannou has gone the distance were during his three losses. The first one came during his second MMA bout in France. The second one was when Miocic grinded him out, and the third one was against Derrick Lewis when they combined to throw the fewest punches ever in a heavyweight fight. Otherwise, it’s been all destruction for Miocic. But after how he defended Miocic’s takedown attempt on Saturday night, many doubt if anyone could take Ngannou down, which is probably the only way to beat him now or at least slow him down.

Jon Jones would still have the speed advantage, longer reach, championship experience against Ngannou. But if he can’t take Ngannou down, it’s hard to imagine Jones beating Ngannou on the feet, even from afar. Sure, Jones is correct when he said that Ngannou can’t hurt what he can’t hit. But while Ngannou may not be as fast as prime Jon Jones, he isn’t too slow either. Sooner or later, he’s going to land something on Jon Jones. It doesn’t have to be too many punches. And it doesn’t even have to be a clean shot. Even a grazing blow from Ngannou can put opponents to sleep. Jon Jones isn’t an exception.