5 fights that could be next for Francis Ngannou

The Heavyweight champion has a number of options after his win on Saturday

Francis Ngannou defended his UFC heavyweight championship against Ciryl Gane on Saturday. The win was the last fight on the champion's current contract and so his next fight is very difficult to predict.

Ngannou has been at loggerheads with the UFC regarding his new contract regarding his pay. He wants the new contract to allow him to box as well. However, no headway has been made between Ngannou's team and the UFC over a new deal.

The King speaks 👑
Listen to what @Francis_Ngannou had to say straight after his win over Ciryl Gane at #UFC270 yesterday 🏆 https://t.co/hWqGHorlOW

The most likely scenario seems to be that cooler heads prevail and the UFC forks out the necessary money to keep 'The Predator' with the promotion. If that is the case, there are plenty of heavyweights who will be looking to challenge him for his belt.

However, the two parties are clearly not on the same page at the moment, as Dana White's post-main event antics showed. If the UFC is not able to re-sign their champion, perhaps he leaves and fights elsewhere?

With plenty still up in the air, here are five fights that could be next for Francis Ngannou:

#5. Francis Ngannou vs. Tai Tuivasa

Tuivasa is ranked no. 11 with a record of 13-3

Should Francis Ngannou re-sign with the UFC, there will be plenty of fresh matchups for the champion. While Tai Tuivasa may currently seems like a long shot given that he sits at No.11 in the rankings, he is scheduled to face No.3-ranked Derrick Lewis on February 12th. Should he win that one, a fight against Ngannou could be next.

UFC 271 main card announced: Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 headliner, Derrick Lewis vs. Tai Tuivasa co-main mmafighting.com/2022/1/23/2289… https://t.co/fn7kuFogs8

While Tuivasa was on a three-fight losing skid not so long ago, he appears to have reinvented himself in recent times. He has now won four straight and the fight with Lewis could very well serve as a number one contender bout for the right to face the champion next.

There are obviously a number of things that could stand in the Australian's way. Firstly, getting past Derrick Lewis is much easier said than done. If he does manage that there are still unknowns regarding Francis Ngannou's future as well as the potential returns of Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones that could spoil the party.