5 heavyweight legends who could've beaten Francis Ngannou in their prime

#4. Mirko Cro Cop vs. Francis Ngannou

In his prime, Mirko Cro Cop possessed absolutely deadly kicks

While he didn’t have much success in the UFC, it’s arguable that in his prime, Mirko Cro Cop was the most feared heavyweight striker on the planet.

The native of Croatia came into PRIDE after a lengthy and successful career as a K-1 kickboxer. He instantly found that his speed, natural athleticism and brutal striking were perfect for a career in MMA.

Cro Cop rapidly developed a remarkably quick sprawl that allowed him to avoid his opponent’s takedown attempts. His kicks were legendary in their brutality, particularly his left kick to the body and the head.

During his tenure in PRIDE, he defeated the likes of Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva and Mark Coleman. While he struggled in the UFC, it’s probably fair to suggest that by the time he arrived, he was slightly past his prime.

How would prime Cro Cop have matched with Francis Ngannou? Well, given his somewhat chinny nature, it’s definitely true that ‘The Predator’ could’ve knocked even the best version of him out with one of his sledgehammer strikes.

However, at his best, Cro Cop was remarkably elusive and could land his deadly kicks seemingly from nowhere. If he were able to avoid some early haymakers from Ngannou, then there’d definitely have been the possibility of him landing the vaunted left head kick and switching the lights off on ‘The Predator’ in the process.

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#3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Francis Ngannou

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira remains the best grappler in heavyweight MMA history

While it’s true that UFC fans never saw the best of him and that he also hung on past his prime for way too long, there’s also an argument that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is the toughest heavyweight in MMA history.

Sure, ‘Minotauro’ suffered some knockouts once he arrived in the UFC and got old, but in his prime during his PRIDE days, he seemed basically invulnerable.

Some of the shots he took from the likes of Mirko Cro Cop, Fedor Emelianenko and Heath Herring likely would’ve killed a normal man. Nogueira took them without even appearing to be stunned

Could prime Nogueira have survived a shot from Francis Ngannou, though? It’s a fair question, given that ‘The Predator’ may well be the hardest-hitting fighter we’ve ever seen inside the octagon.

However, ‘Minotauro’ did survive some serious shots from Bob Sapp. While ‘The Beast’ is now a joke of sorts, back in 2002 when he fought Nogueira he was a 320-pound slab of pure muscle who hit remarkably hard. Despite that he didn’t come close to putting the Brazilian away.

More importantly, there’s an argument to suggest Nogueira is still the greatest heavyweight grappler in MMA history, with a litany of submissions to his name. In this prospective fight, if he could’ve taken Ngannou to the ground, then he definitely could’ve tapped him out.

Overall, this fight wouldn’t have been easy even for prime Nogueira, but given his toughness, he would definitely have stood a good shot of beating ‘The Predator’.