Why this vicious uppercut was no biggie for promising UFC newcomer Francis Ngannou

ORLANDO, Fla. – Thanks to a massive uppercut, Francis Ngannou picked up an impressive UFC-debut win on Saturday. But for him, it was pretty much no big deal.

Ngannou (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a French heavyweight who’s now knocked out or submitted his opponent in every career win, delivered a second-round KO of Luis Henrique (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in UFC on FOX 17’s curtain-jerker, which streamed on UFC Fight Pass from Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.

Here’s his work of beauty (via Facebook):

After the event, Ngannou said such massive fight-ending blows are sort of second nature.

“The main thing was to not rush any time – just be ready to pull out what I’v been training for four months,” the 29-year-old said. “So I don’t need to ‘set up’ some things. … I can feel it in the boxing. That’s my thing – I can feel it. I have the timing for that.”

Check out the full conversation, which includes Ngannou and his interpreter, above.

And for more on UFC on FOX 17, check out the UFC Events section of the site.