The main event of UFC on ESPN 3 features two proven heavyweight closers. Between them, Francis Ngannou and Junior Dos Santos have ended 29 of their bouts by stoppage. There’s a good chance that number could rise to 30 when the two face off inside the octagon on Saturday night.
Ngannou entered the UFC with a record of 5-1. All five of those victories came by way of stoppage. He kept that streak alive in his first six fights under the UFC banner. That run earned Ngannou a shot at the UFC title in January 2018. Ngannou’s winning streak ended in that bout when then-champion Stipe Miocic won a one-sided decision win over Ngannou. A decision loss to Derrick Lewis followed the Miocic fight.
Ngannou shook those losses of and responded with two knockout wins in his two most recent bouts. Those two fights lasted a combined 71 seconds.
Like Ngannou, when Dos Santos joined the UFC he had never gone the distance. The Brazilian was 6-1 at the time and all six of his wins had come via first-round stoppage. Dos Santos reeled off five straight knockouts as a member of the UFC roster before he went the distance. Dos Santos went unbeaten in his first ten fights in the UFC. During that run, he won and defended the UFC heavyweight title.
Dos Santos’ first loss under the UFC banner was his UFC 155 decision setback to Cain Velasquez. Today, Dos Santos is 21-5 overall. His two most recent wins were both second-round knockout victories. Dos Santos’ three most recent defeats have all come by knockout, including his May 2017 bout with then-champ Miocic.
Ngannou and Dos Santos meet in the main event of UFC on ESPN 3, which takes place at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday.
Before that fight takes place, relive the five best finishes from each fighter.
The main card of UFC on ESPN 3 airs on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN at 6 p.m. ET.
