Francis Ngannou punch record: Does the UFC heavyweight champion really have the hardest punch in the world?
As per Dana White at a UFC press conference three years ago, UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is the world record holder for the hardest punch ever recorded.
White made the comments in the weeks leading up to Ngannou’s first shot at the heavyweight title when he met Stipe Miocic. On that night at UFC 220 he was beaten decisively by Miocic. But last night, “The Predator” was able to avenge that defeat with an absolutely vicious knockout win of his own.
How powerful is Francis Ngannou?
Many fans have heard about how powerful Francis Ngannou allegedly is but, according to White, he is indeed the hardest power puncher on the planet right now.
“Francis Ngannou has the world record for the most powerful punch. His punch is the equivalent to 96 horsepower, which is equal to getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can! It’s more powerful than a 12 pound sledgehammer swung full force from overhead. Holy s***.”
A previous report on his work indicated that Ngannou visited the UFC Performance Center in 2017 and whilst there, he recorded a punch that measured in at 129,161 units - surpassing the previous record held by former boxer and kickboxer Tyrone Spong.
Ngannou certainly proved himself to be one of the scariest men on the planet at UFC 260 with the kind of performance that made everyone watching sit up and take notice. Not only did he beat Miocic, but he did so emphatically.
Now that he is the champion, there are many challengers who could step up and go after Ngannou, but three come to mind above the rest - Jon Jones, Derrick Lewis and Stipe Miocic once again. It's fair to assume Ngannou would be the clear favorite in all three of these contests, especially now he seems to have developed the patience to go alongside his power.
Miocic and Jones would have great game plans to face Ngannou, and Lewis would have some big punches of his own to try and register. But the champion has proven he is functioning at an entirely different level.
Can anyone meet him there? We’ll have to wait and see.