Francis Ngannou is about to make a comeback and this time he has more motivation than ever before. After tragically losing his son Kobe earlier this year, the former UFC champion has decided to dedicate the rest of his fighting career to his name. Here is what happened:
Francis Ngannou opened up about the heartbreaking loss of his 15-month-old son, Kobe. Ngannou recently did an interview with Sky Sports Boxing. There he revealed that Kobe passing away earlier this year was a tragedy that has deeply affected him.
It has been by far my hardest ship in life the days I lost my son and then, you know, for some time I felt like I didnโt even have to do this or questioning about whether I should do it, fight again or something.
Francis Ngannou on Sky Sports Boxing
The former UFC champion described feeling โpowerlessโ and โvulnerable,โ struggling with an overwhelming sense of grief and questioning the purpose of life. Despite this, Ngannou has decided to return to MMA, not for personal achievement but to honor his sonโs memory.
He shared that his son was now his biggest motivation, driving him to continue fighting. He acknowledged that the past few months have been the hardest of his life, but โThe Nigerian Nightmareโ is determined to push forward and do something positive in Kobeโs memory. Ngannou is set to make his MMA comeback against Renan Ferreira in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) this October.
Francis Ngannouโs upcoming PFL debut against Renan Ferreira
Francis Ngannou is set to make his highly anticipated Professional Fighters League (PFL) debut this October. โThe Nigerian Nightmareโ will feature in a headline event in Saudi Arabia against Renan Ferreira. This fight marks Ngannouโs return to mixed martial arts after two high-profile boxing matches. The former UFC champion traded punches with boxing icons Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.ย
Although he came up short in both boxing bouts, Ngannou knocked down Fury and gained valuable experience. It will be interesting to see how Ngannou integrates his experience from the boxing ring into the octagon. Especially, after having extensively trained under boxing legend Mike Tysonโs guidance.
This PFL event was marketed as โBattle of the Giants: Brace for Impactโ. It is expected to be a significant pay-per-view event, available on ESPN+ in the U.S. and DAZN globally. The co-main event will feature a womenโs featherweight clash between Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco, adding more star power to the card.
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