When Francis Ngannou exited the UFC on bad terms earlier this year, his future was uncertain. Many fans felt he had made a mistake, while others appreciated him for taking a stand against Dana White and the UFC. Ngannou and the promotion did not see eye-to-eye on various issues such as fighter pay, medical insurance, and personal in-cage sponsorships.

Although he may have left the promotion, he maintains good relations with many fighters, including middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. And in a press conference ahead of his bout with Sean Strickland at UFC 293 this Sunday, he spoke about Ngannou’s upcoming boxing match with Tyson Fury.

Israel Adesanya tells reporters first thing he did after the fight was announced

In the press conference, Israel Adesanya was asked his thoughts on the upcoming Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury boxing match on October 28. ‘Izzy’ stated that the first thing he did on learning about the fight was to book his flight to Saudi Arabia to support Ngannou before he was even officially invited by Saudi officials.

“When I saw it on Instagram first thing I did, I was like I’m gonna be there to witness history. First thing I texted him [Francis] was, I’m gonna be there to witness history. I already booked my flight,” he told reporters.

‘Stylebender’ predicts Francis Ngannou will make history

Adesanya thought that Ngannou was ahead of the pack. He was also confident that the Cameroonian would defeat Fury because of his life’s journey. Born in abject poverty in rural Cameroon, Ngannou used to work at a salt mine as a teenager. He later took off and walked nearly all the way to the northern coast of Africa to make the overseas journey to Europe. These life experiences, according to ‘Izzy’, make ‘Predator’ mentally unshakable and nigh unbreakable, which gives him an edge.

READ MORE: John Fury Calls Out Mike Tyson for a Fight on Fury vs. Ngannou Undercard

“I’m proud of him. I’m proud of him, he’s leading the charge, put it that way. And again, Rome wasn’t built in a day, trust me… It’s a long shot from what they say… but this man feels nothing. If you listen to what he’s been through before the UFC. He’s fortified up here, he’s locked in. He’s a guy that you can’t shake him, you can’t break him. Shout out to my big bro Francis and I can’t wait to watch him make history again.”

Most analysts, justifiably think Fury, the heavyweight champion will beat Ngannou, who is going into his first professional boxing match, for which he is being trained by legendary boxer and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Legendary boxing trainer Cus D’Amato used to say that boxing was a contest of character. And if that is true, then Ngannou cannot be written off so quickly. His character, after all, has brought him this far. And it might just help him prevail over Fury.

WATCH THIS STORY: Everything We Know So Far About Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou