Did Alex Pereira break Francis Ngannou's record of hardest punch? Comparing 'Poatan' and 'The Predator's' PowerKube scores

Alex Pereira and Francis Ngannou are undeniably two of the hardest-hitting punchers in combat sports and are known for their incredible knockout power in the cage. Over the course of his MMA career, Ngannou racked up a professional record of 17-3, with 12 of those victories coming via knockout.

Given Ngannou's reputation in the cage, it's no surprise many considered him the hardest-hitting puncher ever. This theory became more accepted after the Cameroonian set the record for the hardest punch in the world as measured by a PowerKube machine in 2018. However, he may not hold that record anymore, thanks to Pereira's output on the same machine.

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Did Alex Pereira break Francis Ngannou's record of hardest punch?

In 2018, Francis Ngannou tested his herculean strength on a PowerKube machine. This machine calculates the power behind a punch by analyzing various factors like force, speed, and accuracy.

Ngannou stunningly registered a strike power of 121,161 units for his overhand right and scored 122,000 for his off-balance uppercut punch. He also registered a speed power of 51,064 foot-pounds per second, roughly the same as a small family car's horsepower.

Watch the full video below:

While the former UFC heavyweight champion had bragging rights as the hardest puncher ever, he was surprisingly outperformed by Alex Pereira. While the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion has displayed the devastating power of his left hook several times, he shockingly broke Ngannou's record with a hard right hand earlier this year.

Like Ngannou, Pereira has earned a reputation as a knockout artist and has a professional record of 11-2, with 9 of those wins coming via KO/TKO. Aptly nicknamed 'Poatan', which translates to 'Stone Hands' in the Tupi language, Pereira unofficially smashed Ngannou's record on the PowerKube machine and surpassed the Cameroonian's scores by a significant amount.

During his test, 'Poatan' recorded a mammoth 191,796 units on the PowerKube machine. This exceeds Ngannou's score by 62,635 units. In an Instagram video shared by Vanessa Demopaulos (reposted by @espnmma), Pereira can also be seen breaking Ngannou's speed-power score, with 70,433 units.