Watch UFC star Francis Ngannou manhandle NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal with ease
Francis Ngannou may be the hardest puncher in history, but he also has a claim to be the strongest man to ever grace the UFC.
To lift up basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal with consummate ease is not only incredible, but seemingly impossible as the man himself admits it has never been done before.
Ngannou, known as ‘The Predator,' flexed his muscles in a video with his friend, whom he met for the first time last year in the gym where the basketball legend admired Ngannou’s svelte, yet bulky physique.
The Cameroonian picked up O'Neal, who weighs more than 21 stone, and joked online: "Shaq you’re not so heavy as I thought. That’s probably why you could fly on the court."
The 48-year-old looked stunned at his achievement and said: "Yeah, that's the first time I've ever been lifted up.”
Ngannou was set to fight Jairzinho Rozenstruik this month, but this was suspended until further notice due to the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The knockout artist honed his strength from a young age by working in a mine to support his family, before leaving his country of birth to move to Paris.