Israel Adesanya criticizes the UFC for attempting to erase Francis Ngannou‘s legacy and contributions to the sport, emphasizing that history cannot be ignored despite Ngannou’s current association with PFL.
Israel Adesanya gets it—UFC has a business to run. But trying to erase Francis Ngannou and his contributions? That just doesn’t make sense to him.
In the lead-up to UFC 305, a promo video showcased comments Adesanya made about the trio of African champions. Once upon a time, Adesanya was joined by Ngannou as heavyweight champ and Kamaru Usman as welterweight champ. They were the “three kings,” planning to expand the sport into Africa.
However, the edited promo suspiciously removed Ngannou’s name, even though Adesanya mentioned him at a pre-fight press conference. None of it sat well with Adesanya. He hopes UFC eventually comes to its senses.
“The first rule of UFC Fight Club: don’t mention Francis Ngannou’s name…” tweeted AFeldmanMMA. The tweet highlighted discrepancies between what was shown in the UFC 305 Countdown episode and what Adesanya actually said at the press conference.
“You can’t erase Francis’ legacy in the UFC,” Adesanya stated during media day for UFC 305. “It’s part of what we’ve done. It’s forever in history, in stone.”
“I know he’s fighting for the PFL now, but it’s still history,” he continued. “You can’t just turn a blind eye to it. I’m sure they’ll fix it eventually.”
The split between UFC and Ngannou had been brewing for a while. “The Predator” had voiced several concerns about his contract before considering a new deal with UFC.
Ngannou’s issues weren’t just about pay. He wanted the freedom to pursue other interests, like his dream of boxing—something he only achieved after leaving UFC.
He eventually signed with PFL and secured boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before booking his promotional debut against Renan Ferreira on Oct. 19.
Adesanya understands that UFC views Ngannou and PFL as competition. However, that doesn’t negate their shared history.
“He’s an integral part of what we’ve done in the UFC,” Adesanya reiterated. “There’s competition between promotions, but you can never erase history. The streets, the internet will always remember.”
Adesanya believes UFC will rectify this situation eventually. “It’s just a lot of chest puffing,” he said. “The UFC are smart people.”
As for his personal relationship with Ngannou, Adesanya still talks to him regularly. He’s excited to see his friend return to action in October.
This fight also marks Ngannou’s first appearance since the tragic death of his 15-month-old son back in April.
Adesanya can’t even fathom that kind of pain but wishes nothing but the best for Ngannou as he restarts his MMA career in PFL.
“I’m happy for him,” Adesanya said. “I’m happy for what he’s doing. He just went through something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. We’ve talked, I’ve checked up on him. I respect Francis so much.”