The UFC has been getting some backlash after removing one of the “three kings” from an Israel Adesanya quote in the recent Countdown episode.
Adesanya is set to headline this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view event in competition for Dricus Du Plessis’ middleweight title. The Nigerian-New Zealander will shoot for a historic three-time crowning inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
The build-up to Saturday’s numbered event has been relatively heated after Adesanya took issue with some of Du Plessis’ past comments regarding his status as the “real African” in the UFC.
“The Last Stylebender” has accused the South African of downplaying his achievements, as well as others who came before him like Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou. And the promotion played up to that storyline in its Countdown episode for UFC 305 — only, with just two of the “kings.”
A recent video posted on X by AFeldmanMMA showed Adesanya making note of both Usman and Ngannou, who joined him as the “three kings” hailing from Africa who simultaneously held UFC gold in their possession, during the UFC 305 on-sale press conference.
Accompanying that clip was the same moment shown on Countdown. The moment was heavily edited to remove any mention of the “three kings” and Ngannou.
The instance marks the latest controversy surrounding the UFC”s attitude toward Ngannou since his departure at the start of 2023.
After he chose to pursue his contractual demands elsewhere, the promotion notably incorrectly branded Tafon Nchukwi the “only Cameroonian fighter in UFC history” during a broadcast.
Fans Slam Continued Ngannou Erasure: ‘UFC Can Try As Hard As They Want…’
Members of the MMA community online were quick to give their takes on the latest example of the UFC looking to avoid any mention of Ngannou.
Plenty were up in arms, accusing the UFC of attempting to diminish the former heavyweight champion’s legacy. The promotion wasn’t without its defenders, however, in addition to those who took issue with the branding of Nchukwi as the first Cameroonian UFC fighter but saw no issue with the editing of Adesanya’s quote.
