Francis Ngannou set 'world record for most powerful punch' during UFC run - now he wants to test it
Francis Ngannou has earned himself a reputation as one of the most prolific knockout artists in MMA - now he wants to test the chins of the best in boxing.
Last Saturday, UFC president Dana White announced that ‘The Predator’ has been stripped of his undisputed heavyweight championship, released by the company and is free to chose his next venture.
He suggested Ngannou is no longer interested in competing with the best fighters following a year of failed talks to renew his expired contract.
However, the Cameroonian has since revealed he made three specific requests to the UFC and they rejected them all before he turned down an $8 million [£6.49m] per fight deal in favour of free agency.
During his UFC run, Ngannou was known for his scary punching power after picking up several highlight-reel KO wins against Curtis Blaydes, Andrei Arlovski, Cain Velasquez and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
The 36-year-old even put Stipe Miocic to sleep to win the UFC heavyweight title, but he’ll be most remembered for his brutal knockout of Alistair Overeem in 2017.
Overeem had fought in and around the very top of UFC’s heavyweight division for years and he was the first major name that Ngannou had to face in the company after stopping all five of his prior opponents in MMA’s premier promotion.
Ngannou landed a devastating uppercut in the first round that lifted this 6ft 4in, 250lb opponent off his feet before he hit the ground and laid motionless on the floor.
Before their recent falling out, the UFC boss talked up Ngannou as the hardest-hitting person on the planet after Athlete Fit tested his punching power.
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“Francis is a guy who has the world record for the most powerful punch,” White explained when introducing him to the stage ahead of his first showdown with Stipe Miocic, at UFC 220 in 2018.
“His punches are equivalent to 96 horsepower. That’s equal to getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can and it’s more powerful than a 12-pound sledgehammer from full-force overhead. Holy s***.”
Ngannou landed his patented power shots on Miocic but he survived them and was able to wrestle his way to a decision victory before succumbing to the 300lb behemoth when they rematched two years later.
Now that he’s a free agent, Ngannou wants to see how his freakish strength translates to boxing, specifically against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
He recently said: “Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua would be my first ideal opponent.”
Ngannou has a history with ‘The Gypsy King’ who he jumped into the ring with last April to talk up a hybrid rules bout after the Englishman knocked out Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium.
Fury is expected to face Oleksandr Usyk in a historic undisputed fight in March but the now-former UFC star will reach out to see if the 34-year-old is still interested in facing him.
Ngannou added: “I think Fury has retired, coming back, [is] fighting Usyk. I don’t know where Fury is right now but I’m going to find out, now it is time.
“Before besides social media things, we could not do anything concrete but now we can engage in talks and figure everything out.
“Whatever it is, if it is with Tyson Fury, I will take it. I have no problem doing boxing with 4oz gloves.”
Meanwhile, Joshua is looking to rebuild after back-to-back losses against Usyk.
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‘AJ’ has been heavily linked to a fight with Dillian Whyte’s last opponent, Jermaine Franklin, but it’s not a done deal and Ngannou may be viewed as a much more intriguing comeback opponent.
Although Ngannou will almost certainly be the underdog heading into fights with Fury and Joshua, he simply cannot be written off and could cause a huge upset if his power crosses over to a new sport.
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