Ahead of Francis Ngannou’s highly anticipated bout with Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, Dana White had nothing but praise for the fighter’s sheer power.
Many still remember that Ngannou has the world record for the hardest punch ever measured.
The Cameroonian-French fighter recorded a punch of 129,161 units, breaking the record previously held by kickboxer Tyrone Spong.
His speed power also hit 51,064 foot pounds/per second, which is equal to the horsepower of a normal sized family car.
UFC’s head honcho has since been in complete awe of Ngannou’s raw power with regards to his punches:
“Francis is a guy who has the world record for the most powerful punch.
“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**t.”
Much of Ngannou’s inspiration comes from his childhood hero and boxing legend Mike Tyson.
Ngannou even had the opportunity to train with Iron Mike, where Tyson gave the UFC fighter a few tips to further improve his technique.
“You gotta push, push push! Push and move it quick,” said Tyson in a training video posted to YouTube.
Ngannou’s punching craft is set to be on full display this weekend against Miocic.
The Cameroonian-born fighter lost to Miocic in 2018, so vengeance will firmly be on his mind coming into the Saturday’s marquee matchup.
Following his loss to Miocic, Ngannou also lost his next match against Derrick Lewis, before going on a four-fight winning streak.
His most recent fight, which was his fourth straight win, was in May 2020 where he took down Jairzinho Rozenstruik via a first-round KO.
In fact, each of Ngannou’s four victories were won via first-round KOs, showing that he’s definitely learned from his brief losing spell.
They don’t call him ‘The Predator’ for nothing, and Ngannou will have his eyes on another potential first round KO against a familiar opponent in Las Vegas this weekend.
UFC 260 takes place on Saturday, March 27, with Ngannou’s heavyweight clash against Miocic slated for the main event.