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Israel Adesanya; Francis Ngannou; Dana White | Credits: Getty
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via Getty
Israel Adesanya; Francis Ngannou; Dana White | Credits: Getty
One of the biggest heartbreak moments in the UFC history is the time when Francis Ngannou had to move out of the MMA promotion back in 2022. Needless to say, the move wasn’t something that the MMA world had ever expected. This led to a massive cold war between the Cameroonian fighter and Dana White. The war went on to the point where the UFC has been apparently trying to erase the former heavyweight champion form its history.
But Israel Adesanya, along with countless others, doesn’t seem to like that. At the media day for UFC 305, before his fight against Dricus Du Plessis, the former middleweight fighter stood in support of Ngannou.
Israel Adesanya wants the UFC to fix everything with Francis Ngannou
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‘The Last Stylebender’ has often shown mad respect for ‘The Predator’. Back when Du Plessis ignited the ‘real African’ debate, Adesanya swooped in to defend himself, Ngannou and Kamaru Usman, deeming the former heavyweight a king of African MMA. But as a reporter pointed out that Ngannou was coming back to the MMA cage and fight under the banner of PFL, ‘Izzy’ showed how happy he was.
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Israel Adesanya just called out Dana White—are you shocked or cheering him on?
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Soon, he reflected on the sorrowful voyage ‘The Predator’ has been on ever sinec he lost his son. And then Adesanya talked about the battles that are being fought between Ngannou and the UFC. ‘Stylebender’ said, “I’m happy for him. I’m happy for what he’s doing. He just went through something that I would never wish on anyone. And you know, we’ve talked. I’ve checked up on him. And again, I respect Francis so much. “
But then he stood tall to defend Ngannou as the talks about the UFC erasing his history continued to circle around the internet. Despite the heat, Adesanya’s voice had an edge of confidence on the UFC patching things up with Ngannou. ‘Izzy’ continued, “He’s an integral part of what we’ve done in the UFC. You know, right now, I know there is competition between other promotion and the UFC, and battles. But again, you can never erase history, because the streets will always remember no matter what. And I think they’ll fix it, eventually. But it’s just a lot of chest puffing… The UFC is smart people. They’ll understand.”
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What’s your perspective on:
Does Israel Adesanya have a point about the UFC's 'dirty play' against Francis Ngannou?
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Needless to say, this wasn’t the first time Adesanya defended the Cameroonian mixed martial artist. After all, Usman and Ngannou have always supported Adesanya. It was just his turn to return the favor.
‘The Predator’ and ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ have always supported ‘Stylebender’
During an interview with ESPN MMA, right before his match against Du Plessis at UFC 305, Adesanya was asked if he was carrying the three kings of Africa to the fight. Without wasting a single moment, the Nigerian-born fighter said, “Francis and Kamaru 100%. These are guys that we have paved the way for people like Dricus.”
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But the heartfelt words gushed out of Adesanya’s mouth when the reporter asked him if Usman and Ngannou wished him well for his upcoming fight. Adesanya answered, “Of course! Definitely! Like, you know, they’re my brothers. They always, they always wish me well and they always expect, support me in what we do and I always support them as well.” No doubt, the brotherhood that the forearm 2-time middleweight champ showed was one of a kind.
What are your thoughts on Adesanya’s words for Ngannou? Will the UFC fix everything up with ‘The Predator’? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
Debate
Does Israel Adesanya have a point about the UFC's 'dirty play' against Francis Ngannou?