Francis Ngannou defeated Linss via knockout late in the first round, finishing the fight with a left hook after 4.5 minutes. Linss weighed only 100 kg at the weigh-in, making Ngannou 16 kg heavier than his opponent—the largest weight advantage of Ngannou's career. While some might view the late finish as slow given Linss's status outside the top tier, the fight lasted as long as it did due to grappling exchanges where Linss attempted takedowns and clinch work. All striking exchanges ended with Linss absorbing heavy shots from Ngannu. The analysis notes that Ngannou appeared both visually and competitively in good form, making it especially unfortunate that his planned bout with Vadim Nemkov did not materialize.
