Israel Adesanya unhappy with UFC for trying to erase Francis Ngannou's legacy: "We need to fix this"
Israel Adesanya is upset that the UFC is attempting to erase the memory of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Adesanya demanded action after discovering that Ngannou's name had been removed from his promos for this weekend's UFC 305.
Ngannou did not depart the UFC on good terms, as he became the organization's first active champion to leave in two decades. The 37-year-old left the promotion at the beginning of 2023, a decision that many questioned. He allegedly gave up a record-breaking $8 million salary for his fight against heavyweight champion Jon Jones in the process.
In an appearance on The MMA Hour, Ngannou refuted Dana White's assertion that his exit was motivated by money. Instead, the Cameroonian claimed that the true reason he is no longer with the promotion is that they refused to meet any of his contract demands.
MMA journalist A. Feldman recently took to X, pointing out that in a recent press conference, Adesanya named himself, Ngannou, and Kamaru Usman as the UFC's original three African champions. The press conference clip was utilized in the UFC 305 countdown show, however, Ngannou's name was removed.
Also, during a UFC Fight Night event at UFC Apex, an on-screen graphic displayed Tafon Nchukwi as the sole Cameroonian competitor in UFC history.
Check out the post below:
That didn't sit well with Adesanya, who is a longtime friend of Ngannou. In an interview with ESPN MMA, the Nigerian-born Kiwi seemed keen on correcting the situation regarding 'The Predator', saying:
''We need to fix this. I don't like that. I don't like the fact we're trying to cut out a really important part of history. It's silly. It's really silly but we'll fix that. That's for later on. We'll fix that.''
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below:
Israel Adesanya accuses Dricus du Plessis of showing disrespect for local customs
Israel Adesanya will look to reclaim his title in a middleweight showdown against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 this Saturday. Given that the event is being held in Australia, as it was the last time, there was a customary welcome ritual that was in keeping with the indigenous Australian culture.
After the ceremony, 'The Last Stylebender' turned to X and criticized du Plessis for simply standing there and staring at him, writing:
“Imagine not knowing how to pay respects to the Original People of the land you stand on. Oh wait…”