Former UFC heavyweight champion cum professional boxer Francis Ngannou took to social media on Monday to mourn the death of his 15-month-old son, Kobe. Per ESPN, Ngannou, 37, paid tribute to his son after the news of his passing was circulated in his home country of Cameroon.
Sources also said Ngannou is with his family in Cameroon at the moment. “Too soon to leave but yet he’s gone. My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he’s laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he’s not responding,” Ngannou shared on Instagram.
“I was my best self next to him and now I have no clue of who I am. Life is so unfair to hit us where it hurts the most. How do you deal with such a thing? How can you live with it? Please help me if you have an idea because I really don’t know what to do and how to deal with this.”
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Ngannou also opened up about his current emotions in a separate post on X (formerly Twitter). “What’s the purpose of life if what we’re fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!?” he wrote. “Why is life so unfair and merciless? Why does life always take what we don’t have? I’m f**k*ng tired.”
The 37-year-old’s fellow professional athletes commiserated with him in the comment section of his posts. “I am so sorry to hear of your loss Francis, my prayers are with you and your family at this time,” former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor shared on X.
“May the memories you shared bring you comfort ,” fellow boxer Anthony Joshua also shared on Instagram.
“Dear lord, I pray you comfort Francis and his family,” Former UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg wrote. “Surround him with your love and ensure he is protected by your guidance as he grieves this loss. Give him the strength to know that heaven is eternal and they will be together soon as this life is just a blink of an eye.”
Ngannou is regarded as one of the hardest-hitting fighters in the sport’s history. He was in his 20s when he immigrated from Africa to Europe to pursue a boxing career, ESPN reported. He subsequently became a breakout star in heavyweight mixed martial arts. In 2021, Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship. He then went ahead to defend his title before parting ways with the UFC in 2023 and switching to professional boxing.
He has since fought and lost against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Ngannou has also signed a deal with Professional Fighters League (PFL), making him a minority owner. PFL is regarded as one of the fastest-growing global sports leagues and the second MMA company worldwide on all metrics.
The partnership will see the professional fighter act as chairman and a minority equity owner in PFL Africa. Additionally, he will anchor the PFL’s PPV Super Fight Division and also serve on PFL’s Global Athlete Advisory Board, PFL announced in a statement in May 2023.
