Israel Adesanya: "I know Francis Ngannou will come back to the UFC"
Israel Adesanya has commented on the Cameroonian's decision, and the Nigerian fighter fully shares Ngannou's view.
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Will Israël Adesanya walk out on the UFC like a certain Francis Ngannou? For now, it is not on the agenda. The Nigerian fighter is set to try to win back the middleweight title he lost last November to Brazil's Alex Pereira. However, the man with 23 wins from 25 MMA fights fully understands the Cameroonian's decision.
Israël Adesanya has also become something of a defence lawyer for Ngannou. "Francis made the right decision. He is the one who kicked the door down. We were all behind him, we've been saying it for a long time if you look back. I said the same thing. I won't add much, but he's right, these are small things. He's asking for things that should be mandatory. His demands were reasonable, and I felt he should have got them," he says.
For the Nigerian, Francis Ngannou's departure is a big loss for the UFC. He regards the Cameroonian as the greatest heavyweight in history. "He's the greatest heavyweight we've ever had. Not just in the UFC, but in history. He left on his own terms with the belt, he never lost it. So I think he'll do what he has to do in boxing or elsewhere. It's a big blow for the UFC. But I know he'll come back. He will come back," Adesanya added. In the meantime, Ngannou is being challenged by several boxing champions.