Francis Ngannou competed in one of the biggest matches of his career against Fury after he left the UFC earlier this year. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him and he received support from the MMA community. His friends from UFC Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman, who share the same African heritage, were also present to show their support during his bout against Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Not only this, but the former UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya placed a $20,000 bet on his friend Ngannou to pull off the win in the fight. Just before the fight, Izzy even revealed that he had bet $20K on ‘The Predator’. He also left a message for the former UFC heavyweight champion after his loss extending his support.
It was a 10-round boxing bout in which Ngannou fought like a warrior. During the third round, he dropped ‘The Gypsy King’ to the canvas with a powerful left hand punch. But on the scorecards, judges didn’t favor his performance and Fury took home the victory. This was not well received by the fans. Even the French-Cameroonian’s close friends and family thought that ‘The Predator” should’ve been the winner.
Israel Adesanya, who is one of his close friends, took to Twitter and revealed about the bet that he placed on his friend. Izzy posted his betting tickets on Twitter, showing that he had placed $15K on Ngannou to win, along with another $5K to score the knockout over Tyson Fury. He wrote,
“Ain’t no fat sausage, it’s prime angus @stake “
Ain’t no fat sausage, it’s prime angus @stake 🥩‼️ pic.twitter.com/gr188hlbgE
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) October 28, 2023
Post Fury’s victory over Ngannou, Adesanya took to Twitter to extend his support towards the former UFC heavyweight champion. He expressed how he was proud of Ngannou’s outstanding performance against the undefeated ‘Gypsy King’. He said,
“Against all odds and coming out on TOP Stepping into the squared circle and going toe to toe with the greatest heavyweight in boxing. My brother @francisngannou …you shook up the WORLD “
Against all odds and coming out on TOP‼️
Stepping into the squared circle and going toe to toe with the greatest heavyweight in boxing. My brother @francisngannou …you shook up the WORLD‼️ 🌍 pic.twitter.com/bDcWF4Ysiw— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) October 29, 2023
It was an absolutely heartwarming moment to see ‘The Predator’ receive such support from his fellow combatants.
Israel Adesanya shares a great relationship with Francis Ngannou
Izzy and Ngannou have shared a very close relationship from their UFC days. The two have never shied away from supporting each other. From UFC to now boxing, Izzy continues to support ‘The Predator’.
The African trio which includes Izzy, Ngannou and Kamaru Usman were once the three UFC champions with African heritage. Usman was the UFC Welterweight Champion, Izzy was the two-time UFC Middleweight Champion and Ngannou who was the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion, were UFC’s three African-born champions.
From being on the top as the champions to losing their belts, this trio has seen the highs and lows in the UFC. Nevertheless, they have had each other’s backs and Izzy even accompanied Ngannou during his walkout for match against Fury.
The incredible performance delivered by ‘The Predator’ has received a lot of praise from the MMA community. It includes, ‘The Last Stylebender’ who appreciated him for making the entire MMA community proud. The fans are eager to see him excel in his future fights and establish himself as a dominant force against all odds.
