‘Heartbroken’ Francis Ngannou breaks his silence after Israel Adesanya’s defeat at UFC Seattle

Francis Ngannou has spoken out for the first time since watching his close friend Israel Adesanya taste defeat yet again.

The former UFC heavyweight champion has had a special bond with Adesanya dating back to their early days in America. They, along with Kamaru Usman, famously heralded in the iconic ‘three kings’ era of African champions in the sport, representing Cameroon and Nigeria as well as the continent as a whole.

Now, none of the trio are in world title contention – although Ngannou remains one of the top heavyweights in the world with the most impact in his division four years on from his last UFC fight. But they still support each other no matter what the results end up being.

Francis Ngannou reacts to Israel Adesanya’s defeat to Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle

Saturday night’s UFC Seattle was one of the most exciting shows that the promotion have put on from start to finish in the Paramount era. And the headliner delivered an explosive affair as Israel Adesanya rolled back the years early on against Joe Pyfer.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last for the former middleweight champion and with less than a minute on the clock in the second he was sprawled down receiving shots from Pyfer. The fight was stopped, and Adesanya is now on a four-fight losing streak of which three are finishes.