The African bond between former UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou remains strong.
Despite not being under the same banner anymore, Ngannou, ex-UFC heavyweight champion, showed up to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to support his friend Adesanya ahead of his main event bout against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at ANB Arena.
Ngannou and Adesanya, as well as Kamaru Usman, have publicly shown a lot of support for each other. The three are from Africa and simultaneously reigned as UFC champions just a few years back.
You can watch their meet in Riyadh in the video above.
Ngannou had an unceremonious exit from the UFC in 2023 and now finds himself boxing and fighting for rival MMA promotion PFL. He most recently put away 2023 PFL season winner Renan Ferreira in the first round this past October.
Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) lost the UFC middleweight title in 2023 and was submitted in his subsequent fight trying to recapture the belt. He’s looking to snap out of a two-fight losing skid against Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC).
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
