"I was quite surprised" - Israel Adesanya talks about physical attribute of Cristiano Ronaldo which astonished him

Israel Adesanya recently shared his experience of meeting soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo whilst ringside at Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou's boxing bout in Saudi Arabia.

'The Last Stylebender,' alongside Kamaru Usman, walked down to the ring with Ngannou as part of his entrance for his boxing debut. 'The Predator' then put the boxing world on notice as he went toe-to-toe with 'The Gypsy King' across the 10 rounds, narrowly losing the bout via split decision.

Due to the magnitude of the occasion, stars from across the world were in attendance on October 28, including the likes of Ronaldo, Conor McGregor, Eminem, and Mike Tyson.

Before UFC 300 last weekend, Adesanya appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to discuss the event and Ngannou's boxing career. During the interview, Helwani asked 'The Last Stylebender' what it was like meeting Ronaldo in person.

According to Adesanya, the Portuguese star is a huge fan of boxing and MMA, but his biggest takeaway from the experience was the physical stature of the soccer icon. He said:

"He's a fan of the sport, he's a cool guy. He's really tall as well, I was quite surprised...It was cool, just being there with the likes of him and Eminem. I got a photo with them both too."

Catch Israel Adesanya's comments here (46:30):

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Israel Adesanya names the three middleweights he wants to face on his return to the UFC

Israel Adesanya recently named the three opponents he'd like to face when he makes his highly anticipated return to the octagon.

'The Last Stylebender' decided to take a brief hiatus from fighting after his surprising title fight loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 last year. He had also fought seven times in two years between 2021-2023 and wanted some time away from the cage to recharge and undergo a minor surgery.

During the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Adesanya was then asked about his plans for the future. He then alluded to the fact he would be back into the octagon before the end of 2024 and named Khamzat Chimaev, Sean Strickland, and Dricus du Plessis as the three fights he'd like next.

He said:

"If Khamzat beats Rob [Whittaker], then yeah, I want to test that [challenge]. If he beats Rob. I'ma get Strickland again. I'm definitely going to get him again. Those are pretty much two of the only names I can think of... Dricus [du Plessis], oh yeah of course. That's a given... But we'll see what happens."

Catch Israel Adesanya's comments here (40:00):