Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou Heavyweight Title Fight Announced for UFC 220

Adam Wells @adamwells1985Featured ColumnistDecember 10, 2017

Stipe Miocic fights Junior Dos Santos in a mixed martial arts bout at UFC 211 for the UFC heavyweight championship, Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Dallas. Miocic retained his heavyweight title via 1st round TKO. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

UFC has confirmed that heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will defend his title against Francis Ngannou in January.

Per a tweet from UFC, Miocic vs. Ngannou will take place at UFC 220 on Jan. 20 at the TD Garden in Boston:

UFC @ufc
IT. IS. OFFICIAL! @StipeMiocicUFC | @Francis_Ngannou | The HW strap is on the line in Boston at #UFC220! https://t.co/7rNhZjk2cg

The fight has been expected since Simon Samano of MMA Junkie reported Wednesday that UFC was targeting the January show in Boston for Miocic's defense against Ngannou.

Two years into his UFC career, Ngannou has established himself as one of the premier heavyweights in the world. The 31-year-old has won 10 straight fights via stoppage, including a first-round knockout against Alistair Overeem at UFC 218 on Dec. 2, and owns an 11-1 career record.

UFC 220 will mark Ngannou's first championship fight as a mixed martial artist.

Miocic is riding a five-fight winning streak that began in May 2015 and is 17-2 in his MMA career. The Ohio native can set a UFC record with three title defenses in the heavyweight division if he can beat Ngannou.

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