Francis Ngannou’s 15-month-old son Kobe has tragically died.
cameroon exit 237online.com first reported the devastating news and the former UFC champion turned boxer confirmed it with a heartbreaking social media post.
In a post on Instagram, Ngannou said: “Too early to go, but he’s gone now.” My little one, my partner, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. He now he is lifeless. I shouted his name over and over again but he didn’t respond.
“I was my best self next to him and now I have no idea who I am. Life is so unfair that it hits us where it hurts the most.
‘How do you deal with something like that? How can you live with that? Please help me if you have an idea because I really don’t know what to do or how to deal with this.’
Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou’s 15-month-old son tragically passes away
Ngannou confirmed the news in a heartbreaking post on his Instagram account on Monday.
Ngannou had previously shared another devastating post on his X account.
Reports by Cameroonian outlet 237online.com were later confirmed by the 37-year-old.
Ngannou’s Instagram post came after she shared a heartbreaking message on X on Monday night.
He had said, ‘What is the purpose of life if the thing we fight tooth and nail to escape from is what ultimately hits us the hardest?’
‘Why is life so unfair and ruthless? Why does life always take from us what we don’t have? “I’m fucking tired.”
Several fans and fellow fighters were quick to send their best wishes and condolences to the Cameroonian, including Conor McGregor.
The Irishman, who has four children, responded to Ngannou’s message and said: “I am so sorry to hear of your loss Francis, my prayers are with you and your family at this time.”
Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick added: “It has been a difficult few days, words cannot express the pain we all feel for the Ngannou family during this time.”
‘Please keep Francisco and his family in your heart, and let this be a reminder of the fragility of life. Say “I love you” more often, tomorrow is not guaranteed.
The circumstances surrounding the death of Ngannou’s son are unknown at this time.
Ngannou remains very close to his roots and regularly returns to Batie, where he grew up.
The former UFC champion is also very close to his mother (pictured with her in May 2021)
Ngannou, who grew up in Batie, Cameroon, where he was raised by a single mother, also received great support from those in his homeland, and the former UFC champion stayed very close to his roots.
This includes his mother, who regularly appears in his social media posts.
Ngannou has been on an inspiring journey to the top after being forced to walk six miles to school every day and dig sand mines when he was just 10 years old.
As he grew older, he traveled from Cameroon to the north of the continent, passing through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria before arriving in Morocco.
Ngannou eventually settled in Paris, where he met trainer Fernand López, who would convince him to pursue MMA instead of boxing.
Reflecting on his fighting journey last year, he said: “For me, I started MMA for fun. I had time to train so I thought why not train MMA as well.
“And then things went very fast and they started asking me if I wanted to fight.” And I said “Yeah, let’s do it.”
“I didn’t realize how fast I was going until the coach told me, ‘We have a UFC contract for you.’
After winning five of his first six mixed martial arts bouts, Ngannou signed his first contract with the UFC and quickly began to make an impact on the promotion.
Conor McGregor was one of the first people to send his condolences to the Cameroonian
Fellow MMA star McGregor (right) is a father of four and sent his prayers to Ngannou.
Ngannou has enjoyed an inspiring rise to the top after growing up poor in Cameroon.
Six straight wins in which he showcased his striking power earned him a heavyweight title shot against Stipe Miocic, but he suffered a crushing loss in 2018.
He bounced back from the loss by beating Miocic and Derrick Lewis in brutal fashion, with a series of knockout victories. The Predator won three of his next four fights in under a minute, including a victory after just 20 seconds against Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 2020.
The 37-year-old made the decision to leave the UFC in 2022 after defending his title against Ciryl Gane.
His UFC career ended with a record of 17 wins and three losses, including 12 knockouts.
After leaving the promotion, Ngannou signed with the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) and has since immersed himself in the world of boxing.
Ngannou has fought Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, suffering a narrow defeat to Gypsy King, before the Cameroonian lost heavily to AJ.
In his March fight against Joshua, which reportedly earned Ngannou around £15million, the Cameroonian was knocked out in the second round following a devastating blow as he struggled to back up his previous performance in the ring.
Speaking after the defeat, Ngannou had said: ‘Sorry guys, I let you all down. Today was a bad day at the office but tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for the love.”
Despite that loss, Ngannou remains a very popular and marketable athlete, especially since his move to the PFL.
Reports claimed that a key reason for the Cameroonian originally signing with the PFL had to do with sponsorships after he previously criticized the “lack of freedom” for fighters within the UFC.
He made his boxing debut against Tyson Fury last year and lost despite an impressive display.
Ngannou was then knocked out in the second round when he faced Anthony Joshua in March.
Speaking about X in 2022, he said: ‘Fighters get ripped off with sponsorship. It is a huge source of income for us, but the company continues to exploit it for its own benefit.
“I understand that the sport needs to look good in uniforms, but we should at least have the right to have a minimum of two approved sponsors in the octagon.”
In addition to PFL, Ngannou now reportedly has deals with Gymshark, Phya, CBD Research Labs, Cryo Pain Relief, and The Fight Game.
Ngannou was scheduled to make his PFL debut against defending champion Renan Ferreira this summer, although that is now uncertain following the tragic news.
