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Francis Ngannou recently beat Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to be crowned the new UFC heavyweight champion. We saw an evolved version of Ngannou, complete with improved takedown defense, something which definitely now makes him one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, UFC commentator Jon Anik heaped praise on Francis Ngannou and his athletic acumen. Anik hailed the UFC heavyweight champion as the best in the world and wished luck to anyone attempting to 'dethrone' him. He told Mike Heck-
"So this is a special athlete. It’s crazy to think about what could have been in terms of other professional athletic endeavors had he gotten off to an earlier start and had resources at his disposal. But 13 UFC fights, to the surprise of some it took him that long to be a UFC heavyweight champion. But Francis Ngannou is the best in the world and best of luck to Jonny Bones (Jon Jones) or anyone trying to dethrone that man right now."
Francis Ngannou's knockout of Alistair Overeem
According to Anik, Francis Ngannou has clearly had something special ever since his first UFC outing. Referring to Ngannou's knockout of Alistair Overeem at UFC 218, Anik further said-
"But man Francis Ngannou’s special, there’s no doubt about it. Even dating to his UFC debut in 2015. I think a lot of us felt like we had something special on our hands. Even if you go back to the knockout of Alistair Overeem, I think late 2017. And if you see the way Joe Rogan and I reacted. We called the knockout, but immediately our focus shifts to the well being of a man, Alistair Overeem in this case and hoping that he is okay."
Francis Ngannou faced Alistiar Overeem in the co-main event at UFC 218. Both fighters started throwing heavy strikes, until Overeem smartly went for the takedown, albeit unsuccessfully.
Both fighters returned to the center to trade blows and we saw a display of the destructive power that Ngannou possess. 'The Predator' landed a vicious left uppercut at 1:42 of the opening round that sent Overeem crashing to the canvas. A follow-up shot from Francis Ngannou was hardly necessary as Alistair Overeem was out cold on his feet.
