Finally, fans of the UFC heavyweight champion and the Jackass franchise can experience the full journey of a really hard punch in the balls.
The big storyline for Francis Ngannou in 2022 isn’t about his title unification bout with Ciryl Gane, or even his ongoing battle against the UFC. No, the real, meaty story to tell is Ngannou’s guest spot on the upcoming Jackass 4 movie. The UFC champ’s participation in the project was teased last summer, with reports that one of the cast members had signed up to take a shot to the groin, full force, from the man widely regarded as the most powerful striker in MMA.
That cast member ended up being none other than Ehren McGhehey, who took not just one heavy shot to the jewels, but a whole slew of them. Ngannou recently revealed to Bloody Elbow that the stunt required multiple takes to get just right. Fans may only see the one punch, but it was the best of several delivered to McGhehey’s vulnerables.
“It was so weird. I was kinda nervous,” Ngannou admitted. “Like, ‘Man, what can happen?’ And the worst thing is you have to do it multiple times. Because, first I was nervous, then I was afraid to go full force. And they’re like, ‘No, you have to. This is how we do it. You have to go full force.’ And sometimes the guy would be moving, and you would not hit it—like hit it on the side. And they’re like, ‘No, you rest and you come back.’ I’m like, ‘Bro, this guy will die.’ Yeah, that was so… [sighs].”
Revel, then, in stupidity perfected.
Ngannou is fresh off his 5 round victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. That bout was reportedly the final fight on the ‘Predator’’s contract with the promotion, and it appears both sides are settling in for protracted negotiations. So it just might be that this is one of the few punches we see the big man throw for the rest of 2022.