Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou showed his followers he was fighting fit ahead of his heavyweight bout with British boxer Anthony Joshua, obliterating a punching machine in London last week and challenging his fans to take a swing.
Francis Ngannou will take on AJ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next month in a huge heavyweight clash. The Predator has been in fighting form since coming up short against the Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, and has continued his training in recent weeks with a less-than-conventional approach.
The French-Cameroonian fighter showed off his unbelievable punching power and form against a Gym Shark-owned punching bag last week, striking the bag so hard it sounded like a gunshot was going off. It’s not the usual training programme that boxers follow before a big match-up – but if it’s good enough for Conor McGregor, then it must be effective.
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Even without a full wind-up, Ngannou’s right-hand punch measured at a maximum of 999 units on the said measuring machine.
In his Instagram post, Ngannou dared anyone to match his punching power and said that Gymshark is offering £10,000 (~$19,455 AUD) to anyone who can punch as hard as he can on the same machine in London. Given the cash prize, it won’t be a surprise if a handful of souls will be brave enough to give it a try. It won’t be a surprise either, if no one comes close.
This isn’t the first time where Ngannou displayed his otherworldly punching power on a measuring machine. Back in 2018, Ngannou went to the UFC Performance Institute to quantify his vaunted punching power. Using the PowerKube punch measuring machine, Ngannou was measured for two punches – his signature overhand right and an off-balance uppercut.
The overhand is Francis’ best punch inside the Octagon and it was measured at a ridiculous 129,161 units which broke the previous record of 114,000 units set by kickboxer Tyrone Spong. But more impressive than setting a new unofficial world record, Ngannou’s off-balance uppercut, registered 122,000 units on the same machine or still broke Spong’s record.
Ngannou’s speed power was also verified to be at 51.064 ft. lbs/sec. According to a report, that’s equivalent to 92.84 HP which is like being hit by a Ford Escort car going as fast as it can. It is also more powerful than a 12-pound sledgehammer from full-force overhead. Ngannou’s knockout power is also said to be strong enough to lift a 240-pound fighter off his feet.
In 2021, strongman Eddie Hall, who won the 2017 World’s Strongest Man competition, attempted to break Ngannou’s punch record. However, Hall’s best shot measured at only 113,999 units. After his failed attempt, he gave props to Ngannou’s feat, calling the former UFC heavyweight champion an absolute monster.
Having said this, it’s not a wonder why Ngannou dropped lineal boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in his first professional boxing bout. And it probably won’t be a surprise if AJ falls victim to The Predator’s punching power too.