Dr. David Abbasi explains how MCL and ACL injury would have affected Francis Ngannou's punching power at UFC 270

Dr. David Abbasi (left), Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane (right) [Credits: @espnmma via Twitter]

Francis Ngannou successfully defended his heavyweight belt against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. After the fight, the Cameroonian revealed that he had sustained multiple knee injuries just three weeks prior.

Dr. David Abbasi, an MD (Doctor of Medicine) who frequently details UFC fighters' injuries, took to his official YouTube channel to shed light on Ngannou's medical issues. He explained the potential impact the injury might have had on 'The Predator's punching power and stance going into the fight against Gane.

Dr. Abbasi explained how the primary source of punching power stems from the lower body. Thus, a significant instability of the ligaments in the knee can negatively affect one's power. He said:

"When we are walking around, the force of our body's weight and does travel through the ligaments of the knee and up to 80% can happen from the inner portion of the knee [where MCL is present]. So he could have felt that his knee was unstable."

He added:

"Francis Ngannou's main weapon is his power in his hands... But all of our power, all of our energy, including in the case of Francis Ngannou comes from our lower body... So the energy travels through the body, through the knee, through the hips. So all that power that he generates from the rotation comes from his lower body including the knee."

Watch Dr. Abbasi's detailed explanation of Francis Ngannou's knee injury below:

In his post-fight interview, Francis Ngannou told Joe Rogan that he tore his MCL and ACL ligaments while preparing for the fight against Ciryl Gane. He also stated that he nearly pulled out of the fight, but desperately wanted to make a statement and hence, went ahead with the bout.

Watch his full post-fight interview below:

Francis Ngannou admits that he was a "little concerned" about his injuries going into UFC 270

Following his first title defense against Ciryl Gane, Francis Ngannou discussed the nature of his knee injuries with members of the media. He shared details about how the injuries affected his performance at UFC 270, admitting that some of the positions in the fight were painful.

He also revealed that he had several procedures done on his knee prior to the bout, including a stem cell infusion at the UFC performance institute in Las Vegas, Nevada. During an interview with Megan Olivi, Ngannou said:

"I have enough confidence on my grappling, but I was a little concerned about everything like moving forward. [Am] I going to slip? Is he [Gane] gonna kick my leg if I switch stance, you know, all that stuff. Then I saw that he's like trying to wrestle which is something that I knew for sure that I'm pretty good at, at least more than him. [It] was an opportunity for me. I couldn't be stable on my stance. I couldn't move with confidence so I was very afraid. Even though certain positions were hurting."

Watch Ngannou's full interaction with Megan Olivi below:

Additionally, Ngannou told BT Sport's Caroline Pearce that he will likely require surgery in the coming weeks.

#ANDSTILL @francis_ngannou interview coming to @btsportufc 🎤👊 The knee injury is quite serious and likely needs surgery he tells me. Rest up champ! #ufc270 https://t.co/xDeA0I4KKO