Six years ago, Francis Ngannou broke the world record for the hardest punch ever, measuring 129,161 units on a PowerKube.
Ngannou’s record still stands to this day (sorry, Joe Pyfer), but that hasn’t stopped a slew of combat sports stars from trying their best to unseat ‘The Predator’ from his power-punching throne. Recently, interim UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall made his attempt but failed to produce anything more than a third of the power that Ngannou recorded in 2018.
Tom Aspinall attempts to break Francis Ngannou’s punching machine score of 129,000.
Tom proceeds to get a score of 45,000.
“If [Ngannou] did 129,000 and I did 40,000, that is ridiculous stuff. I think there’s something going on then, I’m thinking about quitting!”
YT /… pic.twitter.com/Xo1dkH4C9V
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 7, 2024
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“If [Ngannou] did 129,000 and I did 40,000, that is ridiculous stuff,” Aspinall said with a smile. “I think there’s something going on then, I’m thinking about quitting!”
Perhaps there was an issue with the machine that day. Maybe Ngannou is just that much of a heavy-handed monster. We may never know.
Tom Aspinall’s Frustrating Run as UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion
In November, Tom Aspinall claimed his first world title, dispatching Sergei Pavlovich in 69 seconds to claim the interim heavyweight belt after the promotion’s undisputed champion, Jon Jones, was forced to bow out of the event due to a torn pectoral. Since then, Aspinall has been sitting on the sidelines looking for someone to fight.
Typically when an undisputed champion returns, they would immediately unify their belt with that of the interim champ. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case for Aspinall as ‘Bones’ prepares for a heavyweight superfight with former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic. Aspinall may have the chance to fight the winner, but with both Jones and Miocic teasing retirement following their clash, it could leave Aspinall on the bench for the better part of a year with no big-money fight waiting for him once he’s put back into the rotation.
Aspinall’s frustration over the situation has been well-documented but with UFC CEO Dana White going all in on Jones vs. Miocic, there’s not much the big man can do besides sit back and let the chips fall where they may.