5 most vicious Francis Ngannou KOs in the UFC

Francis Ngannou has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC in recent years. The reigning heavyweight champion's propensity for viciously violent knockouts has captured the imagination of combat sports fans worldwide.

Ngannou started training in MMA at the age of 23, unlike most of his opponents who've been training all their lives. His legendary power has proven to be an incredibly effective equalizer throughout his career.

UFC president Dana White, in the lead-up to the Cameroonian's championship fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 220, shared some unbelievable stats pertaining to the power he possesses.

Francis Ngannou has 10 wins by way of KO/TKO in the UFC. That said, we thought we'd rank his five most brutal knockout victories.

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#5. Francis Ngannou vs. Luis Enrique (at UFC on FOX 17)

Francis Ngannou’s introduction to UFC fans set the tone for the rest of his career. He made his UFC debut at UFC on FOX 17 in Orlando, Florida, where he took on Luis Enrique, who was also making his first appearance in the promotion.

Ngannou came into the bout with a record of 5-1. He was signed after making a splash on the regional MMA scene across Europe. Enrique came into the fight boasting a record of 8-1-1 (NC).

Interestingly, their bout was the first fight of the early prelims. Oh, how times have changed for ‘The Predator’.

Both Francis Ngannou and Luis Enrique were fairly one-dimensional at the time. Ngannou had a reputation for being a power-puncher, while Enrique largely relied on his wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu pedigree to win fights.

The key to victory for both fighters was clear – Ngannou had to ensure the fight stayed standing up, while Enrique needed to take 'The Predator' down to the canvas and look for submissions against the inferior grappler.

The first round saw both heavyweights feel each other out in the opening minutes. Enrique managed to take Ngannou down and control him from top position for a significant period of time towards the end of the round.

After having success with his wrestling in the first round, Enrique attempted to do the same in the second. However, Ngannou managed to stuff the Brazilian’s takedown attempts, ensuring the fight stayed on the feet. Three minutes into the second round, ‘The Predator’ landed a clean uppercut that knocked Enrique out cold.

Watch the full fight between Francis Ngannou and Luis Enrique below:

#4. Francis Ngannou vs. Andrei Arlovski (at UFC on FOX 23)

Francis Ngannou was 4-0 in the UFC going into 2017. The Cameroonian built a reputation for possessing an incredible amount of talent and power, having secured three KO/TKOs and one submission victory in the promotion since making his promotional debut two years prior.

The matchmakers took notice of his obvious potential and started giving him more high-profile matchups. Ngannou took on former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski at UFC on FOX 23.

Many expected Francis Ngannou to struggle against the experience of Andrei Arlovski. The Cameroonian was perceived as a one-trick pony going into the bout.

The fight ended just 92 seconds into the first round as Ngannou landed a right uppercut that lifted Arlovski off his feet and sent him flying to the canvas. ‘The Predator’ followed it up with some vicious strikes as the former champion covered up on the mat, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Ngannou’s stock sky-rocketed after the bout. His power was proving to be a real game-changer against every opponent he faced.

With a win over a legend and former champion in Arlovski, the masses started to look at ‘The Predator’ as a potential title contender following his impressive performance.

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#3. Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (at UFC 249)

Francis Ngannou cut a frustrated figure between 2019 and 2020. ‘The Predator’ had clearly earned another shot at the heavyweight title following sensational first-round KO/TKO victories over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

However, with then-champion Stipe Miocic engaged in a drawn-out trilogy with Daniel Cormier, Ngannou was forced to wait on the sidelines.

The Cameroonian was booked to fight undefeated knockout artist and kickboxing veteran Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249. Rozenstruik was coming off a stunning KO victory over Alistair Overeem and even called out Ngannou in his post-fight interview.

Many believed that Rozenstruik would be a real test for Ngannou, considering ‘Bigi Boy’ also wielded one-punch knockout power.

Incredibly, the bout lasted just 20 seconds as Ngannou swarmed Rozenstruik after their first exchange, knocking him out in vicious fashion.

Watch the entirety of the 20-second bout below:

Now riding a four-fight KO streak, Francis Ngannou's next bout would be his rematch with Stipe Miocic. His consecutive victories over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik collectively lasted just 162 seconds.

#2. Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2 (at UFC 260)

Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic have shared an incredibly memorable rivalry over the last four years. The duo locked horns for the first time in 2018, when Miocic was a dominant champion and Ngannou was a contender on the rise.

Ngannou finished all of his opponents in the UFC leading up to his first fight with Miocic and was the betting favorite going into the bout against the reigning champion. However, Miocic showed incredible heart and resilience to defeat Ngannou on the night, exposing the latter’s inferior wrestling and lack of cardio.

Ngannou went on another knockout spree between 2018 and 2020 to earn another shot at Miocic’s belt. The duo squared off in the main event of UFC 260 in Las Vegas.

This time around, Ngannou was much better prepared. He refrained from chasing a KO finish in the first round and opted to land heavy leg and body kicks instead. When Miocic shot in for a takedown, Ngannou completely shut it down and reversed the position on the dominant champion.

In the second round, Ngannou caught Miocic with a powerful left hook that saw the champion crumble to the canvas. A new UFC heavyweight champion was crowned, marking the dawn of a new era in the division.

Watch the full fight below:

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#1. Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem (at UFC 218)

Francis Ngannou and Alistair Overeem locked horns in the co-main event of UFC 218 in Detroit, Michigan.

At the time, Ngannou had put together a five-fight winning streak and was gunning for a shot at then-champion Stipe Miocic. Meanwhile, Overeem was coming off back-to-back wins over Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum, and was also eyeing the belt. Both fighters were seemingly one fight away from a title shot.

The gap in experience between the heavyweight duo was extraordinary.

Overeem, a lifelong martial artist, started training in kickboxing at a very young age and went on to win heavyweight titles in K-1, Strikeforce and DREAM. The Dutchman became the first fighter to hold world titles in MMA and kickboxing at the same time. In 2010, he was the K-1 kickboxing world champion and the DREAM MMA world champion.

He came into the bout with Francis Ngannou with a professional record of 43-15-1 (NC). Ngannou came into the fight with a record of 10-1, having started his professional MMA career just four years prior.

Nevertheless, the Cameroonian knocked out his Dutch counterpart less than two minutes into the first round with one of the most vicious uppercuts ever seen in combat sports.

The jaw-dropping finish saw Francis Ngannou earn a shot at heavyweight gold. It won MMA Fighting's 2017 'Knockout of the Year' award. Ngannou's power went from being notable to legendary after the bout, so much so that he went into his championship bout against Stipe Miocic as the favorite.

To this day, his unbelievable knockout of Alistair Overeem remains one of the most incredible moments in UFC history.