Francis Ngannou possesses the world record for the most powerful punch, measured at 96 horsepower scoring 941 for his right hook as measured on the punching machine. That’s equivalent to getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can.
Francis is an athlete who bears his nickname ‘The Predator’ extremely well given that he has won all of his wins by stoppage. Yep, you get the picture, the Franco-Cameroonian phenomenon is a real threat in the heavyweight division where he is currently ranked no.2 in the UFC.
Originally lacking a clear path to opportunity coming from the village of Batié, Cameroon, Ngannou decided to go to France and take up boxing with his eye on a better future. He had literally nothing, no money, no contacts and slept on the streets. All he did have was a dream, a dream of raising himself up through sport – which, at the start, proved to be a nightmare but still, he never gave up.
As luck would have it, MMA Factory Paris’ sporting director Fernand Lopez, who taught mixed martial arts offered the newcomer equipment and access to his gym. Ngannou moved well in the cage; adapting, evolving and working very hard, and it paid off. Two years after his MMA debut, he crossed the Atlantic to join the UFC.
Ngannou is probably one of the most powerful fighters possessing awesome knockout force (resulting in 11 KO/TKO’s from his 15 victories) with the help of which he’s currently riding a four-fight winning streak. Now without further ado, let’s get into Francis Ngannou’s Top 5 MMA Finishes (in descending order)!
- Vs. Andrei Arlovski – UFC 104 (Jan. 28, 2017)
- Vs. Anthony Hamilton – UFC 102 (Dec. 9, 2016)
- Vs. Luis Henrique – UFC 194 (Dec.19, 2015)
- Vs. Cain Velasquez – UFC 234 (Feb. 17, 2019)
- Vs. Alistair Overeem – UFC 218 (Dec. 2, 2017)
Francis Ngannou entered the UFC octagon for the fifth time here. It was the first real test for the 30-year old heavyweight, after having won his four prior bouts.
He faced Andreï Arlovski, a former champion of the division, and a veteran of undeniable experience. But as expected by many observers, the Belarusian’s chin did not hold. At 1 minute 32 seconds into the bout Francis “Predator” Ngannou levelled him with a huge right punch, forcing the referee to immediately stop the fight.
This heavyweight bout was a co-main event. Considering Ngannou’s reputation for brutal knockout finishes, it was no surprise that Hamilton sought a takedown early on in the fight. He managed it on his first attempt, but as soon as Ngannou’s back touched the mat, he sloughed Hamilton off and got to his feet with relative ease.
In Ngannou’s haste to get up, however, he exposed his back to Hamilton, who responded by locking his arms around the big man, driving him toward the fence.
Ngannou tried to free himself by using a kimura arm lock to break Hamilton’s grip, but once he had it, he was loathe to let go. Ngannou quickly found that he could use the arm lock to leverage Hamilton to the floor. Once there, he moved to the knee-on-belly position wrenching the arm further. This forced a quick tap from Hamilton to bring an end to the bout at 1 minutes 57 seconds of the first round.
Having started MMA in 2013, Francis Ngannou joined the UFC two years later. For his debut in Florida, the organization had Luis Henrique in mind for him.
A very good grappler, it represented a good test for the striker. Overwhelmed by the power of the Franco-Cameroonian however, the South American could not make up lost ground.
During his only opportunity following a leg kick from Ngannou, he was still not able to control his opponent despite a dominant position. It was only a matter of time before Henrique fell. Francis, knocking out his opponent with an uppercut, finished off the job with a hammerfist to definitively end the bout in the second round.
This date marked the long-awaited return of Cain Velasquez after a 31-month hiatus. Unfortunately, Francis Ngannou foiled his comeback in the octagon.
In striking the former UFC champion, Francis hardly backed off for a second and was unrelenting in his effort, while blocking a takedown attempt. It was with a short, sharp uppercut that The Predator felled his opponent. As he fell, Velasquez seemed to injure his knee.
Ngannou then ended the fight with an overpowering flurry of ground and pound. The Predator was back winning by KO in just 26 seconds!
Here, Francis Ngannou faced Alistair Overeem following the doping suspension of Junior Dos Santos. Francis Ngannou had just defeated Andrei Arlovski (the only major name on his resume by this point) and now faced his first serious challenge since his arrival in the UFC in 2015.
Alistair Overeem is a sporting legend, one of the best strikers the organization ever had with a background in combat sports that made all but the most accomplished athletes pale in comparison.
The fight promised to be epic and it did not disappoint. Just 1 minute 42 seconds in, ‘The Predator’ sent The Reem ‘to the stars’ with a stunning uppercut.
For Ngannou’s performance against Overeem the UFC officially awarded him the Knockout of the Year for 2017.
