Francis Ngannou wishes Jairzinho Rozenstruik fight went longer so he could have showcased his ground game

Francis Ngannou didn’t expect to knock out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249 and is semi-disappointed that he did.

Entering the fight, Ngannou was on a three-fight winning with all three wins coming by knockout in under two minutes. Against Rozenstruik, however, Ngannou wanted to show off his much-improved cardio and ground game to prove to people he was ready for a title shot.

“I wasn’t planning on knocking him out in 20 seconds. That is just how it played out. I didn’t plan that at all,” Ngannou said to BJPENN.com. “I wanted the fight to last longer, I planned for the fight to showcase my skills and my ground game.”

Although Ngannou got his hand raised he did leave the Octagon and Jacksonville with some disappointment given the fight was not for an interim title. The heavyweight contender believes it should’ve been for an interim title. He got upset when he saw Justin Gaethje with his belt tinking that should’ve been him.

“We requested that but the UFC didn’t want it. We thought this should be for an interim belt because I’m on a three-fight winning streak all by first-round knockout. Some rumors were out there that it was because Rozenstruik wasn’t in the spot for a title fight,” he explained. “But, for me, he was undefeated and although he is a newcomer it should’ve been for an interim belt. After the fight when I saw Justin Gaethje with his belt, I couldn’t avoid thinking that should’ve been me with a belt around my waist. I was upset about it.”

Now, Ngannou will have to wait to see what the UFC does with the heavyweight division. But, the African is hoping a title shot or a fight with Jon Jones comes next now that he has his confidence and mojo back with four straight knockout wins.

What do you make of Francis Ngannou saying he wanted to show off his ground game against Jairzinho Rozenstruik?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 5/19/2020.