Nigerian Nightmare Kamaru Usman says it was hard watching Anthony Joshua knock out Francis Ngannou

Recently, Kamaru Usman discussed how he feels over Francis Ngannou's recent knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou made up the trio of the first-ever African-born UFC champions, together with Israel Adesanya and Usman.

Their African ancestry played a significant role in the narrative and assisted in increasing the UFC's continental reach.

In addition to having tight personal ties, the African fighters have helped one another through the highs and lows of their careers as combat athletes.

On March 8, Anthony Joshua, the former two-time heavyweight champion, defeated Ngannou by knockout in the second round.

This was Ngannou's first professional KO loss, and it put an end to his ascent toward a possible boxing championship shot.

Usman discussed his condolences over Ngannou's loss in the most recent Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry podcast episode, saying:

He said, "It was a really, really tough one to watch. Yeah, it's a tough one. I can't really put it in the words.

"But I think you can always point to different things that might have played a factor here and there but the result, it is what it is. It was a hard one watching my brother go down like that."

“But props to Anthony Joshua. Anthony Joshua handled himself as an outstanding professional.

"He showed what it is to be a technical boxer. Because I think, to date, people can say whatever they want to say about him, about Francis, but I do honestly believe that is Anthony Joshua's best performance as a boxer yet!”

The former UFC welterweight champion emphasized once more that defeat is a given in combat sports, particularly for athletes who participate for extended periods.

Joshua's performance and demeanor both before and after the bout impressed him.