The rematch between UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and rival Derrick Lewis has reportedly delayed until at least September.
The UFC has been planning on having Ngannou and Lewis headline UFC 265, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on August 7 in Houston, Texas. However, it appears as though the promotion has run into a scheduling conflict and the fight between Ngannou and Lewis has now been delayed. According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, Ngannou vs. Lewis is a “long shot” to take place at UFC 265, and instead, September seems more likely.
UFC hoped to book Francis Ngannou x Derrick Lewis 2 for Aug. 7 but that is currently looking like a long shot at this point, sources say. Scheduling conflicts. Nothing finalized at the moment but September is now a new target, I’m told.
If Ngannou vs. Lewis is taken off of UFC 265, that event will likely be headlined by UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes against rival Julianna Pena. There are a number of other exciting bouts currently scheduled to take place at UFC 265, including welterweights Michael Chiesa vs. Vicente Luque, bantamweights Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz, and women’s strawweights Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres. However, while those are all quality fights, the fans were of course wanting to see the planned main event between Ngannou and Lewis the most. It seems as though fans will have to wait a while longer.
It’s worth noting that UFC 266 is scheduled to take place on September 25, so it will be interesting to see if Ngannou vs. Lewis is placed on that card considering it already has UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira as the No. 1 contender and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega on the card.