Home/UFC

Francis Ngannou is arguably the strongest heavyweight fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. ‘The baddest man on the planet’ gave us a glimpse of his strength in his recent fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. As of February 2022, he stands fourth in the UFC men’s pound for pound rankings

The heavyweight champion seems to be in terrific form and displayed some insane grappling skills in his recent fight. We also know Ngannou for his incredibly powerful punch, which is said to be the most powerful in the world. 

Recently, a video went viral online where Francis Ngannou met the basketball legend, Shaquille O’Neal. Ngannou lifted the 325-pound giant with ease and showed off his unbelievable strength once again.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Ngannou was smiling throughout the video and didn’t even change an expression when he casually lifted O’Neal up for the camera.

In the video, we can see the basketball legend telling the ‘Predator’ that he has no body fat. After that, Ngannou lifted him up and put him down, which seemed to make Shaq tired. He then looked to the camera and said, “Yeah, that’s the first time I’ve ever been picked up”.

READ MORE: “Force Him to Spend a Bunch of Money”–Ex-UFC Heavyweight Champion Has a Grim Prediction for Francis Ngannou

What’s next for Francis Ngannou?

In his post-fight interview after UFC 270, Ngannou revealed that he has a torn ACL, which he got while training for his bout against Gane. The injury will keep the heavyweight champion sidelined for a while till he completely recovers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Getty

The former light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, will make a return to the UFC as a heavyweight in 2022, and if Francis recovers soon enough, we may see them take each other on in the octagon. Another possible opponent for Ngannou is the former champion, Stipe Miocic.

This will mark their trilogy bout and will be the decider fight for the fans since they both have won one fight each against each other.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Who do you think ‘The Predator‘ will fight when he returns to the octagon? Let us know in the comments section below.

WATCH THIS STORY: Five Times Sean Strickland Annihilated His Opponents Inside the UFC Octagon