The dramatic incident that nearly forced Francis Ngannou into retirement

One of the best

Francis Ngannou is one of the best fighters in the world, but the Cameroon-born UFC star almost stepped out of the octagon for good.

Contemplating retirement

Ngannou revealed that he contemplated retirement from fighting after the most tragic news in early 2024.

His return

Ngannou will return to the octagon to face Renan 'Problema' Ferreira for the Professional Fighters League Super Fight belt on October 19th.

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Farewell to his son Kobe

The former champion has confirmed his return after the tragic passing of his 15-month-old son Kobe in April.

"I questioned if I should continue"

According to the Daily Mail, Ngannou said: "I questioned if I should continue or if I should just retire but I didn't want my son to be the reason for me to do that so I decided that I will keep fighting for him."

"New purpose for me"

"It's become a new purpose for me. My son was 15 months old but he was very active, and I had a lot of plans in the future for him but life decided otherwise."

"My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe"

Ngannou announced the news of his death in a post on Instagram. "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."

"Life is so unfair"

"I was my best self next to him and now I have no clue of who I am," he continued. "Life is so unfair to hit us where it hurts the most."

"How do you deal with such a thing?"

"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," he further expressed his grief.

Condolences

Major names from the world of MMA and boxing expressed their condolences for Ngannou.

Conor McGregor

"I am so sorry to hear of your loss Francis, my prayers are with you and your family at this time," Conor McGregor wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Anthony Joshua

"May the memories you shared bring you comfort," heavyweight boxer Antony Joshua reacted to Ngannou's Instagram post. The two had met in the ring a couple of weeks prior in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Joshua winning by a second-round knockout.

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Unknown cause of death

Ngannou did not disclose the cause of his son's death in his Instagram post.