Close friend since their days in the UFC, Nigerian fighter Israel Adesanya has reflected on Francis Ngannou’s bout against Anthony Joshua.
Francis Ngannou has had a rollercoaster year. After holding his ground against WBC world champion Tyson Fury, he was defeated by Anthony Joshua. On March 8th, the Cameroonian lost to the Englishman in a stunning knockout. Despite this setback, the son of Batié can rely on the support of his friend Israel Adesanya. The Nigerian has nothing but praise for the former UFC champion, as he shared on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour.
“I spoke to Kamaru (Usman), he put it best, he said: ‘Yo, to us, he’s Superman.’ He’s Superman. So, seeing Superman hurt like that, it really messed me up. It shook me up. Even if it happened to Joshua, I would have felt the same way. I don’t want to see them go through that, it was a bad, very bad KO,” declares Israel Adesanya. He further adds, “It doesn’t change anything, I think of Francis. You’ll always be Superman to me, and he’s still the man, he’s still the guy who played his own game, regardless of what happened in his life and career.”
This is a powerful message from the UFC star who is gearing up to make his return to the cage later this year. In any case, Francis Ngannou will appreciate the words of his Nigerian friend. The best way for the Batié native to bounce back is to find his way to victory for his MMA comeback in September.
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