WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo meets Israel Adesanya ahead of showdown between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury
Al-Nassr attacker Cristiano Ronaldo met up with former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya ahead of the showdown between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh later tonight.
Fury and Ngannou, two of the best heavyweights in boxing and MMA, are set to throw down inside the squared ring in Riyadh on October 28. The clash will provide a spectacle for combat sports fans.
Stars have gathered ahead of the highly anticipated bout and Ronaldo attended the weigh-in event ahead of the fight. He caught up with Adesanya as well and the video of the two superstars meeting has since percolated onto social media.
Watch the video:
Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has become an icon for Saudi sports since his move to the Middle-Eastern club on December 31, 2022. Apart from that, he shares a friendly relationship with Ngannou and even caught up with "The Predator" after Al-Alami's AFC Champions League win against Al-Duhail on October 24.
Israel Adesanya, meanwhile, is one of the biggest stars in MMA at the moment. "The Last Stylebender", though, lost his most recent fight against Sean Strickland at UFC 293.
Tyson Fury hailed Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the Francis Ngannou showdown
While Cristiano Ronaldo has already collaborated with Francis Ngannou, this time he caught up with Tyson Fury as well. Fury, a Manchester United fan, waxed lyrical about the Portuguese.
"The Gypsy King" told the Portuguese footballer about how he has followed Ronaldo's career closely. He had nothing but admiration for the 38-year-old as Fury said (quotes via Gio CR7 X):
"Cristiano, you are the greatest footballer. I am a big fan. I watched all your matches when you were at Manchester United, the first time then the second time. All your matches at Real Madrid..."
Ronaldo's influence lies beyond the football pitch, as can be seen from his latest interactions with stars from other sports. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is an inspiration even for other top athletes.
Ronaldo will return to action with Al-Nassr later tonight. Knights of Najd are set to take on Al-Feiha in a Saudi Pro League away clash. Al-Nassr are fourth in the Saudi Pro League table with 22 points from 10 matches and are seven points behind league leaders Al-Hilal, having played one game less.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been firing on all cylinders this season, scoring 14 goals and providing seven assists in 13 matches across competitions. He is the SPL's current top scorer with 11 goals.