Francis Ngannou doesn't care to fight Derrick Lewis: He's 'too slow,' doesn't help with UFC title shot

LAS VEGAS – Asked about it shortly after his brutal knockout of Travis Browne, Derrick Lewis didn’t show particular enthusiasm with the idea of facing fellow rising heavyweight Francis Ngannou. While he’d have no problem taking on the task, Lewis simply seemed to have higher aspirations than Ngannou.

The “whatever” feeling about the matchup, it turns out, is mutual.

“I don’t think right now he can bring me something,” Ngannou said Thursday during a media day in Las Vegas. “I’m ranked higher than him (in the official UFC rankings), and I want someone in front of me. Someone who can help me have the title shot. That is my goal.

“And to fight Derrick Lewis – if I have to fight him, I’ll fight him. That is not the problem for me. But, today, I choose my opponent because of my goal.”

Coming off a “Performance of the Night” knockout of his own, over veteran Andrei Arlovski, highly touted prospect Ngannou is now on a five-fight UFC win streak made up exclusively of finishes. Lewis, on his end, added a sixth victory to his current run with Browne, racking up a “Fight of the Night” bonus in the process.

The two, as far as numbers go, certainly share similarly destructive recent paths. But, currently ranked  No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, Ngannou is just “not impressed” by No. 7 Lewis.

“He’s too slow for me,” Ngannou said.

Ngannou, however, is indeed impressed when it comes to some of his other heavyweight colleagues. And his respectable list, it turns out, includes a fair share of men who’ve once held the division’s belt.

“We have very good fighters,” Ngannou said. ” (Alistair) Overeem is very good, and now he’s changed his style, he has a good style, he fights a smart fight. We have (ex-champ Junior) Dos Santos, we have (ex-champ Cain) Velasquez, we have (ex-champ Fabricio) Werdum, we have many good fighters, that is why I want to fight them.

“To prove that me, too, I’m a good fighter.”

One person he seemed to bypass on the list, it was pointed out, was current champion Stipe Miocic. But that doesn’t mean Ngannou is at all intimidated by that idea. While he wouldn’t go as far as saying it’d be easy – “everyone is dangerous,” after all – he’s optimistic about that particular matchup.

“I think I’m going to win,” Ngannou answered.

To hear more from Ngannou, check out the video above.

And for more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.