Every MMA fan out there loves to see a knockout. There is no feeling like the anticipation of watching a UFC fighter throw devastating shots at his opponents. Getting punched in the face is an unsettling feeling but if you are a UFC fighter it’s a part of your job. Over the years, many questions have arisen as to who is the hardest puncher in UFC history, so without further ado here are UFC’s top five hardest hitters.
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Shane Carwin who has an MMA record of 12-2 is known for his large hands. He remains on;y the second player after Brock Lesnar to have used XXL 4 size of gloves while competing in the Octagon. Carwin’s power to knock his opponents was quite visible, especially with his one-punch knockouts against Christian Wellisch and Gabriel Gonzaga. His UFc career was a short one as the fighter was fast-tracked into a title shot after he beat former champ Frank Mir for the interim title. His fighting career came to an end in 2011 at the age of 36 with many fans believing that there was still time for the fighter to capture the UFC Championship belt.
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Does McGregor do one-punch knockouts? No! But what he does have is 19 knockouts out of his 22 wins in the promotion. What gets him into this list is, all of his fights were in the lightweight division which he won in style, catching the opponents with his dominant left hand. He showed the world how powerful his punches are when he knocked Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds of the fight.
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We were lucky enough to witness former UFC Light Heavyweight fighter Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson land some of his deadly punches in the UFC. Back in the day, Anthony was just a fight away from becoming a UFC Champion but he lost his fight to UFC Hall Of Famer, Daniel Cormier. After that fight, Cormier said that “He is one of the hardest hitters he had ever competed with, his punches quite literally moved me around the octagon and when he would miss, you could hear the whistling past your head”. Just like Dan Henderson, Johnson may not have won a UFC title but will always be remembered as one of the most devastating finishers in the sport.
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Dan Henderson’s right-hand punches were named “H-Bomb” – after the nuclear weapon which was used during WW 2 to bring an end to a conflict. In his long career in MMA, Dan has moved four divisions in total; from Welterweight to Heavyweight which is something unique for an MMA fighter. He bossed around in every division he was in and the main reason was the enormous power he possessed to knock his opponents out with his big right. He may have never won the UFC Middleweight title, but his knockouts against Michael Bisping and Mauricio Shogun Rua will always be remembered by the fans.
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The story of Francis Ngannou is very overwhelming; from sleeping under the bridges in Paris to becoming a UFC Heavyweight Champion. In his short time in the UFc, Ngannous is known to be the hardest puncher out there at the moment. The Cameroonian knocked out five of his first six opponents in the promotion including a vicious uppercut to UFC great Alistair Overeem. UFC president Dana White said, “ Ngannou holds the world record for the most powerful punch, His punch is equivalent to 96 horsepower, which is the equivalent of being hit by a Ford Escort at top speed. It’s also equivalent to being hit by a sledgehammer being swung full force.”
[Featured Image Credit: Fiqry Alfansach]
Shashank Iyer