"I was like, what the f**k!” - Israel Adesanya recalls the moment Francis Ngannou blew his mind in the locker room before fighting Tyson Fury

Israel Adesanya was in attendance to witness his friend Francis Ngannou take on Tyson Fury in a highly-anticipated crossover clash in Saudi Arabia last weekend.

Adesanya, as well as Kamaru Usman, were granted access to Ngannou's locker room on fight night. The duo accompanied the former UFC champion on his epic ring walk.

During a recent recap of his experience in Saudi Arabia, Israel Adesanya recalled the moment that shocked him most while in the locker room with Francis Ngannou.

'The Last Stylebender' said:

"I heard him hit the pad and I glanced over and saw he was southpaw, and I was like, 'What the f**k!' That's the backhand. Like his left hand. I kind of had a spazzy moment where I was like, 'Oh f**k, they're not ready for this.' He looked comfortable southpaw, and he was cracking, like his left straight was really nice. Yeah that freaked me out."

Adesanya also recalled the moment Ngannou showcased the superman punch he intended to use against Fury, saying:

"Dewey Cooper goes, 'Yo Izzy, Kamaru, this one's for you!' And then Francis throws the superman punch, BOOM! And it hits the pad, and I just stood up like, 'AHHH!'"

Watch the video below from 6:40:

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Sean Strickland's former teammate "shocked" by former's win over Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland faced off at UFC 293 in September.

'The Last Stylebender' was a heavy favorite ahead of their clash. Many believed that the only possible route to victory for Strickland was to employ a grappling-focused strategy.

Adesanya himself admitted that he didn't expect Strickland to stand and strike with him, due to the nature of Alex Pereira's knockout against 'Tarzan' at UFC 276.

However, fans and fighters alike watched on in amazement as Israel Adesanya was dominated by Sean Strickland on the feet for almost the entire fight. Strickland even dropped Adesanya in Round 1 with a sharp right hand, and the latter struggled to find his timing throughout the fight.

'Tarzan' was eventually crowned the new middleweight champion, stunning all those who watched.

A former teammate of Strickland's, Beneil Dariush, was recently interviewed by ESPN MMA, where he shared his amazement at the performance. Dariush said:

"I'll be honest with you, I was even doubting him. I was doubting that he could do this. The reason I was doubting it, I was like, 'Man, Sean has really good wrestling. But he's not gonna use it, so I think it's gonna be a long night for him.' And then he goes out there and has this really efficient style of fighting... It shocked me."

Watch the video below (10:30):