Stipe Breaks The UFC Record for Most Consecutive HW Title Defenses
Stipe went in and did exactly what so many said he would. He got in close and grappled the shit out of Francis Ngannou. Not saying Ngannou didn't have his moments, but they were few and far between. Stipe won with 50-44 on the scorecards. This was a crystal clear dominant performance by the champ.
There were 2 skills Francis clearly lacked here. First off, his grappling was very lackluster. If his distance management was better he maybe would've been able to do without it, but his standup wasn't good enough to make up for his grappling. Also his endurance and cardio just weren't on par. He gassed real early, which is all too common in fighters carrying as much muscle as Ngannou. Stipe was just too much.
I'm not sure if it's too early to call Stipe the greatest UFC HW champ of all time, but in my mind, him breaking the title defense record is enough for me.