Francis Ngannou is widely considered to be one of the hardest hitters in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Ngannou has recorded several highlight-reel knockouts during his career, and his punching power is often cited as one of his greatest strengths.
In fact, Ngannou holds the record for the highest punching power ever recorded by the UFC Performance Institute, with a punch that measured 129,161 units of force. This is higher than the previous record held by former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
While he didn’t see eye to eye with the UFC in the latter portion of his tenure, Ngannou was once heavily marketed by them for his power. Dana White even compared the force of his punches with a Ford Escort. Francis used this power to KO Stipe Miocic and win the world title.
One fan wanted to test this power for himself. Ngannou was taking pictures and interacting with his supporters on the street. A fan wearing a LA Lakers jersey can be seen stopping the Cameroonian and requesting a punch to his midsection.
It seems like he had a death wish as he wasn’t wearing any protective gear either. Thankfully, Ngannou, being the professional that he is, politely declined despite the man’s insistence. But this isn’t always the case whenever fans challenge MMA athletes.
Ngannou might want to get used to such requests considering he took part in the Jackass movie earlier last year where he delivered a lethal punch to the groin of a willing crew member.
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These kinds of requests aren’t all that uncommon anyway, Jon Jones and Paige Vanzant each respectively were asked to put fans in submissions and hold on until they pass out.
They obliged the fans however stunts like this are a liability that could backfire. Back in the day, Hulk Hogan had a host request to get choked. After Hogan obliged, the host passed out and hit his head. He ended up suing Hogan, and the two settled out of court.