Francis Ngannou vs Alistair Overeem
Ngannou made light of work of Overeem after knocking him out cold Getty

KEY POINTS

  • Ngannou knocked out Overeem in the first round.
  • "The Predator" is on course for a shot at Stipe Miocic's heavyweight title.

Francis Ngannou has arguably already cemented knockout of the year following his win over Alistair Overeem on Saturday (2 December) at UFC 218.

In what was a rising prospect vs underdog veteran match-up, Ngannou delivered with a devastating first-round knockout over the former kickboxing champion.

Having just recently broken Tyrone Spong's record for highest punching power after he threw a punch containing 129,161 units of power, "The Predator" was able to showcase the power in his hands along with why his quick rise has been so hyped.

Ngannou (11-1 record in MMA) only debuted with the promotion in December 2015 and is now on a six-fight winning streak that includes five knockouts.

Backed by UFC president Dana White as potentially the "next big thing" in MMA, the Cameroonian-Frenchman is now on course for a title shot against current champion Stipe Miocic.

Miocic (17-2 record in MMA) has been on his own winning run, having won his last five fights, including impressive victories against the likes of Overeem, Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt.

A match-up with Ngannou would arguably be the biggest fight in the heavyweight division for some time as Miocic looks to break the record for most heavyweight defences (2).

"I feel pretty good," Ngannou said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. "I took this because the winner should get a title shot and I think I got it."

You can watch the knockout below:

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