Former UFC heavyweight champion and professional boxer Francis Ngannou publicly mourned the death of his 15-month-old son on Monday Afternoon.
Ngannou, 37, wrote a tribute to his son Kobe, on his social media platforms after the news broke in his home country of Cameroon. Ngannou is currently in Cameroon with his family, sources said.
“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. 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.”
Ngannou undoubtedly has one of the most unique stories in combat sports history. He immigrated to Europe from Africa in his 20s and quickly rose to prominence in heavyweight mixed martial arts. He won the UFC championship in 2021 by knocking out arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time in Stipe Miocic and defended the belt once. But a contract dispute opened the door for Ngannou to leave the UFC in pursuit of a deal that would allow him to box professionally.
Representatives from his team, as well as other fighters and promoters from around combat sports, expressed their condolences on Monday.
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