Israel Adesanya Praises Francis Ngannou’s Clash With Dana White as Ex-UFC Champ Secures Anthony Joshua Fight After $10M Earnings in Boxing Debut- ‘Head to Head’

Jan 9, 2024 | 1:22 PM EST

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Israel Adesanya has nothing but praise for Francis Ngannou. But there’s no way the same can be said about the UFC Boss, Dana White. White had his problems with ‘The Predator’ and sometimes, it still seems like he is sour about him leaving the promotion and making $10 million at his PFL debut.

In recent news, the ex-UFC heavyweight managed to bag a deal to fight none other than boxing icon, Anthony Joshua. The two are set to butt heads in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Now, we have a video of Adesanya highlighting the mammoth journey the French-Cameroonian has had.

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Israel Adesanya deeply impressed by Ngannou’s story

Francis Ngannou’s story has echoed with millions as it gets written over and over again by media outlets. Everyone knows of the diamond in the rough that was Ngannou. He rose from his poverty in Cameroon, moved to France, and was sent back many times.

Regardless, with perseverance, he made it and was still homeless for a long time. The struggle never really stopped, even at the UFC. Adesanya spoke about how he had to battle not only the greatest heavyweights but even Dana White during his time at the UFC.

“. . . see him rise to the toughest ranks of the UFC even get beat by the champion Stipe,” Adesanya said in a recent conversation. “Came back, knocked him out, kept them going. Had battles with the brass of the company, went head-to-head, and then decided ‘you know what I’m going to do it on my own terms’.”

Clearly, ‘Izzy’ is impressed with Ngannou’s journey so far. Now, he’s about to add another feather to his hat by taking on Anthony Josua in a bout that could happen on the 8th of March, 2024. This comes after he suffered a controversial loss in a match against Tyson Fury. And Dana White had something to say about this too.

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Dana White may have to eat his words

Dana White wasn’t happy with Ngannou’s Fury fight. He would go on to quote Anthony Joshua himself who suggested that the whole thing was a “gimmick”. White was loud and proud at the time standing by Joshua’s words. But what can he say now that Joshua himself is ready to fight Ngannou?

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White boasted of not pitting MMA up against other forms of combat sports. However, fighters like Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor have gone on to box famous boxers and lose their bouts. White was never too critical of these fights. It may look like he still has a bone to pick with Francis Ngannou. Do you believe the age-old rivalry will keep going on between them? Let us know in the comments.

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