Velasquez on Ngannou’s punching power: ‘Ford Escorts suck’
Cain Velasquez responds to Dana White’s claim that Francis Ngannou hits like a ‘Ford Escort.’
There’s no doubt that Francis Ngannou is one of the hardest hitting fighters in the UFC.
Due to his impressive knockout ratio, UFC president Dana White compared the Cameroonian’s punching power to the horsepower of a Ford Escort. According to White, the impact of one of Ngannou’s knockout blows is equal to the force of a collision with a Ford Escort.
“His punch is the equivalent of 96 horsepower, which is equal to getting hit by a Ford Escort as fast as it can (go), and it’s more powerful than a 12-pound sledgehammer being swung from overhead.”
White’s comparison elicited a hilarious response from former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who will take on Ngannou in the UFC on ESPN 1 main event this Saturday.
Speaking to MMA Fighting ahead of his showdown against ‘The Predator’, Velasquez said Ngannou should be offended by White’s comments.
Remember when Dana White compared Francis Ngannou's punching power to being hit by a Ford Escort? @cainmma wasn't impressed…
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) February 12, 2019
"Ford Escorts suck. They're weak." pic.twitter.com/i2h1HKumn8
”Ford Escorts suck,” Velasquez said, per MMA Mania’s Ryan Harkness. “They’re weak. Weak ass Ford Escort. Is that the best [White] could come up with? He said ‘Ford Escort, that’s it. That’s the one.’”
”I dunno, it’d be better than that,” Velasquez said when asked what car he’d be compared to. “Anything would be better than that. They don’t even make Ford Escorts any more, do they? It should offend Francis, not me. I wasn’t called a Ford Escort.”
Velasquez, 36, hasn’t fought since his first-round mauling of Travis Browne at UFC 200. The American Kickboxing Academy standout has been sidelined for the past 31 months due to recurring injuries and will look to make an emphatic statement in his return to the Octagon this weekend.
Ngannou, a former title challenger, rebounded from his lackluster decision loss to Derrick Lewis with a first-round technical knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 141.
UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez takes place this Saturday, Feb. 17 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona