Watch: Hollywood star Michael Jai White teaches Francis Ngannou how to throw a Superman punch
Hollywood star Michael Jai White and UFC behemoth Francis Ngannou recently trained with one another at the UFC Performance Institute. During the session, White shared some of his martial arts knowledge with the heavyweight champion.
One of the techniques taught by the action movie legend to Ngannou was the Superman punch. Among the different setups used for the move, White showed 'The Predator' a Superman punch with a leg kick feint setup.
Watch footage of the interaction in the video below:
Michael Jai White demonstrated the Superman punch on Francis Ngannou without actually hitting the Cameroonian.
The longtime martial arts practitioner indicated that the setup to the punch involves faking a leg kick, drawing a reaction and then throwing the strike.
White is no stranger to training with MMA stars, professional boxers and combat sports athletes in general. Along with Francis Ngannou, MJW has also trained with fighters such as former UFC light heavyweight champions Jon Jones and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, as well as several others in the past.
In another video that’s been circulating online, White and Francis Ngannou are seen expressing their gratitude towards one another after their training session at the UFC PI.
Check out the video on Michael Jai White's Instagram profile below:
Francis Ngannou has a title unification fight looming on the horizon
Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was expected to defend his title against MMA legend Jon Jones in the 34-year-old's heavyweight debut. However, Jones and the UFC subsequently went into a dispute over fighter pay. Jones is yet to make his debut in the division and has suggested that he’s likely to return to the octagon no sooner than 2022.
Ngannou was later rumored to be facing Derrick Lewis in a rematch. Lewis holds a decision win over Ngannou and is one of the top heavyweights in the UFC today.
Nevertheless, the UFC and Ngannou disagreed on his comeback timeline. The organization wanted him to defend his title in August, whereas he and his team were prepared to have him fight in September.
The UFC has now scheduled an interim UFC heavyweight title fight between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane. The fight will headline UFC 265 next weekend on August 7. Its winner will face Ngannou in a title unification matchup.