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The second highest-paid UFC fighter Israel Adesanya has shown support for Francis Ngannou after his decision to leave the MMA company.
Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has drummed support for former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou, 36, left the promotion last month after his contract expired, in what was one of the most controversial exits in UFC history.
The Cameroon superstar’s exit came as a shock to many in the industry but not to a former colleague.
Israel Adesanya defends Ngannou’s decision to exit UFC
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Nigerian-New Zealand fighter Israel Adesanya has now come to the defence of the African champion Francis Ngannou, declaring the UFC must change its business practices after the Cameroonian’s exit last month.
“Francis made the right call,” Adesanya was quoted to have told the media at UFC 284 on Saturday via MMA Junkie.
He continued: “He’s the one that kicked in the door. We’ve all been behind him. We’ve been saying this for how long?
“If you guys go back on the tapes, I’ve been saying the same thing. I’m not going to harp on about it, but he’s right. It’s little things. He’s asking for things that should be mandatory.
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The stylebender who is also his close friend and one of the sport's biggest stars, believes he has made the right moves at this point in his career, going ahead to state that the heavyweight champion is not a diva.
“He wasn’t asking for, you know, crazy, ridiculous diva demands.” he said.
"There’s something as little as for the guys fighting on the opening fights, having the fourth or third corner man being paid for, and the hotel is being paid for.
“That sets them up nicely, and they don’t have to fork it out of their $10K and $10K, or maybe even $10K, to pay for their fourth or third corner man, little things like that.”
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The Last Stylebender is now the second highest-paid fighter on the UFC roster only second to Conor McGregor on the fighter list.
Interestingly, both McGregor and Adesanya are signed to the same management company, Paradigm Sports.
Francis Ngannou’s future post UFC
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Ngannou has been widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in promotion’s history.
The 36-year-old Cameroonian who is known for his devastating power punches never lost his UFC heavyweight title, and until Jon Jones faces Ciryl Gane for the belt next month in Las Vegas, he still retains the belt despite being a free agent.
He has now become one of the most in-demand fighters in boxing and MMA, with promoters reportedly looking to arrange a meeting and secure his services.
Ngannou hadn't fought since January of last year due to injury when negotiations broke down between himself and the MMA company following the expiration of his contract.
His exit meant he was allowed to leave the promotion without losing his belt in an unprecedented move.
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