Ngannou Gets Emotional Over His Son’s Passing – ‘He Was My Mate, Then It’s Over’

Francis Ngannou has spoken about the passing of his 15-month-old son Kobe. 

The former UFC Heavyweight Champion has overcome many struggles inside and outside the combat sports world. He grew up in Cameron in an impoverished background, which impacted his education. His parents then divorced, and Ngannou lived with his aunt. At the age of 10, Ngannou worked in the sand mines to earn money. He turned down the chance to join several gangs. He took up boxing at 22 before going to Paris at 26. When he reached Europe, he was sent to jail for two months after crossing the border illegally.

Ngannou’s Struggles

He was then homeless in Paris before going to a boxing club to meet his coach Didier Carmont. Ngannou then took up MMA. The rest was history was he became the UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World. 
Following his UFC departure, Ngannou signed a deal with the PFL last year. He has yet to make his PFL debut; he has already boxed twice.

Despite losing to Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, Ngannou has earned enough money to set himself up for the rest of his career. He is also the Chairman of PFL Africa, as the organization will have their play-off season starting in 2025. But his world was rocked after the death of his son, leaving Ngannou very emotional. He recalled some moments from his son’s life. 

“The last time I saw him was me leaving Cameroon, going to the elevator, and he was with my little brother and he didn’t want me to go because he became my buddy so much that even when I’m around he don’t want me to leave him alone. I can take him whenever, wherever I go, he might not eat, he doesn’t care, as long as he was with me. 

“That was it, he was my mate… Then you start thinking about all those little things that you guys have, just you and him, then it’s over. Then it’s over. The day that I was leaving he was crying like he wanted me to go with him, but I kept going I’m going to be back, I have no clue that that was it. I should have gone back one more time. Spend one more day, hug him one more time,” Ngannou stated

Ngannou’s Future

There has been much speculation over when Ngannou will make his PFL debut. PFL Chairman Donn Davis hoped to see Ngannou fight in the summer. But the passing of his son has cast doubt on that, as Ngannou needs time to process his son’s passing. However, the PFL President of Fighter Operations, Ray Sefo, has suggested that there will be an announcement coming forward soon. 

“There have been discussions, Francis has been back in camp for the last few weeks in Las Vegas at Xtreme Couture. That’s in the works and I think we’re just in the midst of trying to finalize where it’s going to be, when the date is, and what kind of timeframe it’s going to take for both athletes to be ready, and we’ll go from there,” Sefo said

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