MMA Star Francis Ngannou Claims Friendship With Ronaldo Valuable than $135K Watch Gift

MMA Star Francis Ngannou Claims Friendship With Ronaldo Valuable than $135K Watch Gift

Lukman Mumuni
updated at February 13, 2024 at 11:54 AM
In this article:
Cristiano Ronaldo logo
C. Ronaldo
Al Nassr FC logoFPortugal logo
  • Francis Ngannou has opened up on his $135,000 watch gift from Cristiano Ronaldo
  • The Cameroonian mixed martial artist has a good relationship with the footballer
  • Ngannou narrowly lost to Tyson Fury during their boxing bout in Riyadh in October

Mixed Martial Artist, Francis Ngannou has opened up on his relationship with Al-Nassr and Portugal forward, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Cameroonian-French fighter received a surprise gift from the Real Madrid legend before his boxing bout against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Ronaldo gifted Ngannou a $135,000 watch as a show of mutual respect and friendship.

Francis Ngannou, Cristiano Ronaldo, Watch, Saudi Arabia
Francis Ngannou and Cristiano Ronaldo share a friendly moment in Saudi Arabia. Credit: @francis_ngannou
Source: Twitter

The Portuguese star went on to meet the family of Ngannou in Riyadh as he was preparing for the biggest night of his fighting career.

The two sporting stars have since been good friends and constantly interact with each other during their free time.

And according to Ngannou, who was speaking on NFL legend Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay Podcast, Ronaldo's friendship is way more valuable than gifts.

“Gifts are not always what someone gives you. I think it’s the time," said the MMA star.
“He was standing next to the pool and talking for 40 minutes at least. That was more than more than a watch. And the interaction. He was giving me advice, ‘You have to know the men, the public figure’. He understands [this]. He was giving me some advice. You look at that picture, seems like we know each other for years. It was our first meeting. This is how genuine he was," he added.

Ngannou made history after fighting Fury in an epic boxing bout in Saudi Arabia in October, losing on points to the British fighter, as reported by DAZN.

There are talks of a potential mixed sport fight between the MMA star and boxer Deontay Wilder.

Gary Lineker reacts to Ngannou's defeat to Fury

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Former England striker, Gary Lineker has reacted to the verdict from the fight between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury.

Fury, the boxing heavyweight champion, defeated MMA fighter Francis Ngannou by a split decision in Saudi Arabia.

The historic bout travelled the distance as Ngannou surprisingly knocked down the 'Gypsi King', only for the boxer to rise up and finish the fight.

Authors
Lukman Mumuni photo
Lukman Mumuni
Lukman Abdul Mumin is a Sports Journalist based in Accra, Ghana. He has been writing for the past five years. Lukman joined Sports Brief as an Editor for the Local Desk in 2022.
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