Francis Ngannou was quick to voice support for Israel Adesanya after his latest defeat.
The former two-time middleweight champion was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov inside two rounds at UFC Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
Fans called for Israel Adesanya to retire from MMA after watching him lose a third consecutive fight.
Francis Ngannou took to social media to send a heartwarming message to his long-time friend.
Francis Ngannou reaches out to Israel Adesanya
Ngannou linked up with Adesanya a few days before his fight against at the anb Arena in Riyadh.
‘The Predator’ backed his pal before the fight, and he continued to champion him after he got knocked out.
“Unforgiving sport,” Ngannou tweeted. “Champ one day, champ forever.
“@stylebender, we love you, man, and will always stand by your side.
“Congrats to @imavov1 for his amazing performance. #wakanda4ever”
What’s next for Francis Ngannou?
Ngannou is currently weighing up his options after knocking out Renan Ferreira in October.
The PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Champion is arguably the best big man in MMA – but PFL boss Donn Davis recently claimed that Ngannou’s next fight will be in the boxing ring after previously going 0-2 against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
“If I had to guess, I would think boxing would be first given the opportunities he has,” he said.
“I don’t want to say anything about that—that’s his business for him to announce—but he has unbelievable boxing opportunities.
“So, I think that’s more likely to come first, and MMA is likely to come second. But what I believe you’ll see from Francis this year is one MMA fight in PFL and one boxing match from Francis. So, I think fans of Francis will see him do one of each this year.”
Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is open to boxing Ngannou, but only time will tell who the Cameroonian knockout artist will be matched up against as he tries to finally record a professional boxing win.