Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis added to UFC 226

Francis Ngannou, left, hits Alistair Overeem in the first round during a UFC 218 heavyweight mixed martial arts bout. (Jose Juarez/AP)

A tantalizing matchup between Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis, perhaps the two hardest punchers in mixed martial arts, is in the works for UFC 226.

The knockout artists will meet in a featured bout at the July event, the UFC announced.

Ngannou (11-2) is looking to bounce back from his first loss in the UFC. The 31-year-old Cameroonian dropped a unanimous decision to current heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic when they headlined UFC 220 in January.

Lewis (19-5 with one no-contest) is coming off a technical knockout win over Marcin Tybura in February and a win over Ngannou would put him back in the title shot conversation.

Before the UFC made an official announcement, Lewis hinted at the bout in a funny Instagram post, alluding to the fact neither fighter is known for their conditioning or defensive grappling skills.

A post shared by Derrick Lewis (@thebeastufc) on

Seventeen of Lewis’s 19 career victories have been by either knockout or TKO, while Ngannou has a 100 per cent finishing rate in his 11 wins.

UFC 226 takes place July 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card is headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Miocic and current light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.

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