Joe Pyfer, a middleweight fighter, surprisingly achieved a higher punch power score than heavyweight Francis Ngannou at the UFC Performance Institute (PI). This happened before both of their records were ultimately broken by others.
While training at the UFC PI in Las Vegas for an upcoming fight, Pyfer tested his punching power on the Power Kube machine. Francis Ngannou previously held a record of 129,161 units of force, which was thought to be unbeatable and is equivalent to 96 horsepower.
Despite being significantly lighter than Ngannou, who weighs over 270lb, Pyfer managed to surpass this record during his training camp.
Joe Pyfer`s Unexpected Punching Power Feat
For a long time, Francis Ngannou`s punch power record at the UFC Performance Institute remained unchallenged. Many fighters, including Tom Aspinall, attempted to break it without success. Therefore, it was a shock when Joe Pyfer, a middleweight, reportedly scored higher.
Pyfer discussed this achievement on the JRE MMA Show with Joe Rogan, stating he reached a score of 170,000. He emphasized his intention to inflict damage with his punches, explaining, “I pride myself on my power because I’m trying to hurt you. We all throw with power but I feel like I have a little different intentions sometimes.”
He added, “So I’ve always prided myself on hitting hard, always felt I hit harder than anybody. Now I’m sure Francis’ punch feels different than mine but I hit hard, I’m fast and I walk around at 220lb when I’m out of camp. I’m not a small guy, I’m 6’2″ and 220lb hitting that, maybe light because I was injured so around 212lb. I hit even higher than that at 181,000, I only have the picture but Brendan Allen’s coach was there.”
New Punch Power Kings: Alex Pereira and Eddie Hall
However, both Pyfer`s and Ngannou`s records have since been surpassed. Alex Pereira, a UFC fighter, and Eddie Hall, known as World’s Strongest Man, have both achieved even higher scores. Many now consider Pereira to be the hardest hitter in the world of combat sports.
In April of last year, Pereira broke the record on the UFC`s PowerKube with an incredible force of 191,796 units. Just months later, Eddie Hall shattered Pereira`s record, reaching a force of 208,901, nearly double Ngannou’s original score.
Hall commented on his achievement in a YouTube video, “Alex Pereira had the record for ages, he had 190,000, and then I came along and smashed it,”. He further described testing his power against a brick wall, “I hit it as hard as I could, and I got 203 kilos, that was measured in kilos. So, that punch could generate 203 kilos on the pads at one time. I don’t know if I’d quite fancy 203 kilos in one spot on my face just for my like a splat.”
