Francis “The Predator” Ngannou is one of the hardest-hitting fighters the UFC has ever seen. Out of the Heavyweight Champions’ sixteen wins, nine have been knockouts making him one of the deadliest opponents to face inside the octagon. His most recent KO came against former Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and right now, the #4 Pound-for-Pound fighter is set to take on Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. But before that, let’s have a look at The Predator’s top five knockouts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
In 5th place, we have Ngannous versus Junior dos Santos in which JDS was expected to be a tough competition for The Predator. Considering JDS’ experience, many believed that he had what it takes to avoid an early knockout against Ngannou. However, that did not happen. In the very first round of the fight, JDS barged in with a right hook which missed and offered Ngannous his back which was all the Cameroonian international needed. A hard right from Ngannou dropped down the UFC veteran which was then followed by a barrage of punches before referee Herb Dean stopped the fight after just 71 seconds of round 1.
The fight between Ngannou and Velasquez was all about how powerful the Heavyweight Champion is. The fight started with the former two-time Heavyweight champion going for leg kicks which were completely ineffective. Moments later, Velasquez changed his approach and went for a takedown which was his biggest mistake. As soon as he entered Ngannou’s range, he was caught by a short right hand that sent him straight to the canvas before Ngannou finished him off. The fight lasted for just 26 seconds and it was the last time we saw Cain Velasquez in the octagon.
At #3, we have Ngannou VS Henrique, a fight in which The Predator introduced himself as a force to be reckoned with. The fight started off with both the fighters landing punches which didn’t put the other in danger. This was the case in the first round. In round 2, Henrique tried to go all out and knock out Ngannou but things went the other way. A left hook combo rattled Henrique before a huge uppercut dropped him to the canvas. Ngannou then followed that up with multiple hammer fists which weren’t necessary as Henrique was out cold after getting hit by that uppercut.
On his journey to the top, Ngannou took on Rozenstruik back at UFC 249 with the fight lasting for just 20 seconds giving The Predator the title – “KO Specialist”. Rozenstruik’s game plan was to take his opponent down with his leg kicks with him landing 3 leg kicks inside 10 seconds. However, it didn’t really matter what his game plan was as Ngannou hit him with a barrage of swinging hooks which put Rozenstruik to sleep. What made this win impressive and the KO brutal was the fact that Rozenstruik was undefeated before facing Ngannou.
In the co-main event of UFC 218, Francis Ngannous took on Alistair Overeem in a bout for the #1 spot in the Heavyweight division. Before the fight, Overeem said that Francis’ KO power was just “Fake News” which did not age very well as Ngannou picked up one of the most brutal knockouts of his career. After just 01:42 minutes of round 1, The Predator landed a huge uppercut that swung Overeem’s head like whiplash and dropped him to the canvas with his legs stiffening up and toes curling with Jon Anik screaming “Down goes the reem”. After the fight, Overeem himself termed the KO as an “uppercut from hell”. This Knockout also earned him the MMA Fighting’s Knockout of the Year Award back in 2017.
[Featured Image Credit: UFC – Ultimate Fighting Championship]
Shashank Iyer