"The Force is strong with this one!" - Francis Ngannou and Brandon Moreno dress up as Star Wars characters to celebrate May 4

Francis Ngannou and Brandon Moreno (Left), 'Star Wars' scene (Right) [Image credits: @btsportufc via Twitter and NERDBOT.com]

The unlikely duo of Francis Ngannou and Brandon Moreno made a return on social media on Wednesday, May 4 (May the fourth). The date is widely celebrated by fans of the sci-fi movie franchise as "Star Wars Day" due to the resemblance between how the date is pronounced and the movie franchise's trademark line, "May the Force be with you."

There is no definitive date or time for the phrase's coinage, but U.S. newspapers first publicly mentioned it as a gimmick to mark Independence Day, the Fourth of July, the year after the first Star Wars movie was released.

Brandon Moreno would have been expected to mark the day with something unique as he is a self-proclaimed nerd. 'The Assassin Baby' managing to rope in the UFC heavyweight champion with his shenanigans was something unexpected.

In a post shared by Francis Ngannou, the UFC heavyweight champion is seen cosplaying legendary characters from Star Wars with Moreno. Most likely to make fun of the size difference between the two, 'The Assassin Baby' is seen wearing a Darth Vader helmet. Ngannou is in an X-wing helmet, wielding a green lightsaber, presumably playing the main protagonist, Luke Skywalker.

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Moreno appears to be recreating the historic "Force choke" scene from Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV).

Watch the movie scene below:

Even though the "Force choke" was treated as one of Vader's primary weapons, he never canonically used it against Luke Skywalker over the three original movies. However, Ngannou and Moreno made it look fun. The two have maintained a good relationship ever since they met at Xtreme Couture.

🇨🇲 The baddest heavyweight in the world
🇲🇽 The baddest flyweight in the world

@francis_ngannou and Brandon Moreno reunited to kick off the title fight action in 2022 😆

#UFC270 | Saturday | BT Sport 2 HD https://t.co/BAka1OaYV6

When Francis Ngannou won 'Marvel's Earth's Mightiest Athletes'

While Brandon Moreno is often seen and heard talking about his love for nerd culture, Francis Ngannou is not. However, that did not stop him from becoming one of 'Marvel’s Earth’s Mightiest Athletes' at the 2021 Sports Humanitarian Awards.

Ngannou was presented with the award by Clark Gregg, who played S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson in The Avengers and several other movies of the franchise. 'The Predator' delivered a heart-touching message during his acceptance speech and finished it with the 'Wakanda Forever' chant.

"If you believe in yourself , you can be your own hero or a hero to somebody else... Keep dreaming. Keep fighting. Wakanda forever."

@francis_ngannou spoke about his life's journey after being named one of @Marvel's #EarthsMightiestAthletes at the #SportsHumanitarian Awards. https://t.co/teToLp7bkO

Francis Ngannou is currently recovering from a knee injury which is keeping him away from the octagon. Amid a public dispute with the UFC and president Dana White regarding pay, he is being touted for a boxing match with Tyson Fury.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Ngannou revealed that he is eyeing a November or December return. His current contract with the UFC also expires around the same time.