5 heavyweight legends who could've beaten Francis Ngannou in their prime
After his recent win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, there is no disputing that Francis Ngannou is right now the world’s greatest heavyweight. He probably has a claim as the greatest heavyweight of all time, too.
Francis Ngannou found himself down on the scorecards but turned to his wrestling and dug deep to beat Cyril Gane 🏆
A five-round heavyweight battle at #UFC270! https://t.co/8KJjfmHFlF
Francis Ngannou is clearly a great heavyweight, but could some of the best heavyweights of generations past have beaten the reigning UFC champion in their prime?
It’s hard to say given Francis Ngannou’s size, skill and punching power, but there’s definitely the possibility that had ‘The Predator’ come up against some of these legends in their prime, he may well have fallen to defeat.
Here are five heavyweight legends who could’ve beaten Francis Ngannou in their prime.
#5. Shane Carwin vs. Francis Ngannou
It’s arguable that Francis Ngannou is the heaviest-hitting fighter in UFC history. He’s got plenty of evidence to back up that claim in the form of his knockouts of fighters like Alistair Overeem and Stipe Miocic.
However, one man who probably could’ve rivaled ‘The Predator’ in terms of punching power is former interim UFC heavyweight champ Shane Carwin.
Carwin fought in the UFC from 2008 through to 2011 before retiring due to a persistent back injury. While his tenure with the promotion was short, the impact he made in his time there was pretty huge.
A highly-skilled wrestler with bricks for hands, Carwin’s usual gameplan involved him taking his opponents down before battering them from the top with brutal ground-and-pound. However, he could also hurt foes standing, as the likes of Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar both found out to their detriment.
Mar27.2010
Shane Carwin pummels Frank Mir to become the interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. https://t.co/EKeujgeoLU
Could Carwin have beaten Francis Ngannou in his prime? It’s definitely possible. In this matchup, ‘The Predator’ would probably have had a speed advantage, but there’s no doubt that Carwin’s punching power would’ve had the potential to knock him out and he would’ve certainly had an advantage on the ground.
More interestingly, we saw on numerous occasions – namely in his fights with Gabriel Gonzaga and Junior dos Santos – that Carwin had an iron chin. That's something that would’ve served him well against Ngannou.
This certainly wouldn’t have been a guaranteed loss for Ngannou, but equally, prime Carwin would’ve stood a good chance of taking him out.