Thank you @TheRock for your kind words. You give us all real motivation. Let’s train together and have some @Teremana tequila after. pic.twitter.com/gRqfEbI51V
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 13, 2020
One of the biggest stars in Hollywood had some high praise for Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou shared a message from “The Rock”, aka Dwayne Johnson, in which the WWE star turned actor praised the UFC heavyweight contender during an Instagram Live Q&A session over the weekend.
“Francis Ngannou, let me tell you something, brother – you ain’t ready for me,” Johnson said in response to Ngannou’s invitation to join him for a workout.
“I respect and love this guy so much. He is one of the top heavyweights in MMA, and in the world, and he is a dominant beast of a man. I can’t wait to see him fight again.”
Ngannou was supposed to face Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the UFC on ESPN 8 headliner in Columbus, Ohio, on March 28, but that event was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The bout was then moved to UFC 249 on April 18, but the promotion’s plans to move the card to tribal land in California were halted at the request of Disney and ESPN executives. During the session, Ngannou referred to Johnson as an “inspiration.”
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“I’ve been following your career, Francis, so thank you for saying that, saying that I was your inspiration,” he said in response. “I wish you nothing but the best. I hear really cool things about you, and I look forward to seeing you and seeing you fight again.”
Johnson is a longtime MMA fan, and he recently attended UFC 244 to present the “BMF” belt to Jorge Masvidal following his victory over Nate Diaz at Madison Square Garden this past November. “The Rock” is also working with his production team Seven Bucks Productions to make a film about the life of early UFC star Mark Kerr. Johnson will play the role of Kerr, but a release date for the biopic is unknown.
Johnson concluded with a message of positivity for the entire UFC roster. He, like most MMA fans, is looking forward to when the sport can resume .
“To all the fighters in the UFC, MMA, and around the world – specifically the UFC because I’ve been really following them closely, Dana White and I are very good buddies – I feel for you guys not being able to fight,” Johnson said.
“But soon enough, there’s a silver lining in this: Maybe it’s your training, maybe it’s your mental capacity that you could expand right now as you guys aren’t allowed in the cage as you’ve been shut down, but there is some silver lining in all of this and I hope you guys find it. Because when you come back, the velocity in which you guys come back, I expect to see some dynamite fights when you come back in the cage and I can’t wait. The moment I can be there, I’m going to be there cageside.”
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