Francis Ngannou: Ex-UFC champion & heavyweight boxer to honour late son’s memory in MMA comeback fight

Despite the overwhelming grief, the former UFC heavyweight champion is determined to use this heartbreaking experience as his "biggest motivation" ahead of his upcoming fight against Renan Ferreira.

Announcing the death in April on his social media, Ngannou said then: "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."

Ngannou also asked followers for support during this difficult time, adding: “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 that to do and how to deal with this.”

While processing this unimaginable loss, the 37-year-old fighter has chosen to step back into the MMA cage, not for personal glory, but to honour the memory of his son. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "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 candidly discussed the emotional toll of the past few months, describing it as the hardest period of his life. He said: "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. 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 said he has not considered retirement, though he admits the tragedy has made him reassess the fragility of life. He said: "It's not that I have come close to retiring. It's just that in this circumstance you think, you have different thoughts.

He added: "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. You haven't been able to overcome everything. You feel the most vulnerable as you have ever been. This is different.”

The fighter is set to face Renan 'Problema' Ferreira for the Professional Fighters League Super Fight belt on October 19. When asked if he can regain his fighter's mindset, Ngannou responded: "I just have to find that out by fighting. There is only one way to find out, but also I think now I have different motivation in my son."

Ngannou's return to MMA comes after a surprising detour into boxing, where he knocked down Tyson Fury in a controversial points loss before suffering a knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua. However, Ngannou feels more at home in the MMA cage.

He said: "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.”

The event will also feature a co-main event where Cris Cyborg, widely regarded as the greatest women's MMA fighter of all time, will face PFL two-division champion Larissa Pacheco in a featherweight super fight.