Francis Ngannou is set to honor his late son, Kobe, in his upcoming bout against Renan ‘Problema’ Ferreira on October 19. Ngannou shared the heart-wrenching news of his 15-month-old son’s death back in April, which sparked a wave of support from fighters across MMA and boxing.
In a recent discussion with Sky Sports, Ngannou opened up about the profound impact his son’s passing has had on him. He described feeling “powerless and vulnerable” in the wake of the tragedy, yet he’s channelling this immense loss into his comeback fight.
“This is not a great moment for me. I need some activities. I need to stay active to be in a zone that I belong to. I also need to keep it going, to fight for my boy, for Kobe,” Ngannou explained.
The former UFC heavyweight champion admitted that grappling with his grief has been an overwhelming experience:
Francis Ngannou Felt Powerless After Sons Death
“The past few months hasn’t been the easiest. I think it has been by far my hardest [moment] in life. I lost my son. For some time, I felt like I didn’t even have to do this or questioning about if I should do it or fight again.”
He continued, “But I want to do something good in his memory. Not to be the reason for me to quit but to be motivation and also to fight for him.”
Ngannou revealed that his grief has caused him to reflect deeply on life’s fragility. “It’s not that I have come close to retiring. It’s just that in this circumstance you think, you have different thoughts,” he said.
“You see how fragile life is. You feel hurt, you feel powerless. You feel useless. You’re questioning about your existence, about the importance of all of this, or life in general.”
Ngannou acknowledged that his journey through grief has altered his perspective on fighting. “It’s not that I have considered retiring or something. It’s just that you have to deal with something that wasn’t on the landscape,” he said.
Ngannou Prepares to Fight Renan Ferreira
He emphasized the unique nature of his experience. “I would not compare this to anything that I knew, or that I have experienced. It’s completely different. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but it’s different and all of a sudden you feel like you haven’t been able to do anything in your life.”
As he prepares for his bout with Ferreira for the Professional Fighters League Super Fight belt, Ngannou is focused on finding a new source of motivation. “I just have to find that out by fighting,” Ngannou remarked, reflecting on his shift in focus.
“There is only one way to find out, but also I think now I have different motivation in my son. I used to fight for a lot of reasons but I don’t think I’ve had the biggest reason, the biggest purpose to fight as for now.”
Boxing and MMA
Having previously dominated as a heavyweight champion in MMA, Ngannou made headlines with a switch to boxing. Despite a contentious points loss to Tyson Fury and a knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou is now returning to the cage.
“I’ve been doing mixed martial arts for over 10 years, so yes it’s home. It’s where I’m more comfortable. Where I’m used to, where I understand the most,” he said.
He also acknowledged the shifting landscape of the sport, stating, “Rankings are made by people and yes the sport is moving. I’m not the one to judge, but yeah I think this fight could set as a reminder of who I am.”
In addition to Ngannou’s fight, the event will feature a co-main event showcasing the legendary Cris Cyborg facing PFL two-division champion Larissa Pacheco in a featherweight super fight.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
