While a fallout with the UFC was inevitable, unspeakable tragedy fell upon the promotion’s former heavyweight king, Francis Ngannou when his 15-month-old boy, Kobe died earlier this year. Ngannou, an absolute tank of man, usually reserved about his private life felt powerless as any father would when he announced the untimely passing of his newborn.
In fact, the Cameroonian didn’t reveal much but put out a social media post, mourning his loss, leaving the MMA world in tears.
But after three long grueling months of unimaginable anguish, the 38-year-old has revealed the medical complications that led to the death of his son.
During a conversation with Joe Rogan, Ngannou detailed almost everything.
Kobe had some malformation on his brain which at that time was unknown but upon diagnosis at a Saudi hospital, they also found that he had a swollen lung that disrupted his breathing. Ngannou says he trusted that the doctors had properly diagnosed the issues and that his son would inevitably recover.
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In fact, he left his home in Cameroon to resume his training in Dubai and that’s when the bad news struck him.
Life was going good as per the fighter with him focusing his efforts on his training but a quick call from his brother changed everything. Recalling, the conversation, he said,
“He said, ‘Bro, things are not going well here.’ I’m like, ‘What is it?’ [He said,] ‘Kobe, he passed out, he’s not breathing, we are at the hospital, they kicked me out from the room.’ I’m like, ‘What’s happening?’ As we are talking, he’s also trying to get information, so I lost him for like three or four minutes.”
A sense of uneasiness crept in and Ngannou called his brother back while the nurse at the hospital attempted to verify his relationship to the child receiving emergency medical care. That’s when he heard the nurse tell his brother that his son had passed away.
“I thought I was dreaming. I thought they were going to say that’s not true. I kept calling again and everybody confirmed it. I called my mom, my mom is in tears. What the f*ck is this? That was it.”
Reality hit the champion like a freight train and it took months for him and his family to cope with the loss, to the point that he wanted to hang up his gloves.
But, the Cameroonian wasn’t ready to let go of fighting.
Ngannou now fights in Kobe’s memory
During a recent conversation with ‘The MMA Hour’s’ Ariel Helwani, Ngannou said that nobody was pushing him to fight but he is only doing so for Kobe.
Explaining how empty it feels to lose a child that young, Ngannou explained,
“Everything tastes less like, what’s the point, what’s the purpose, what’s that? And then you process it, you grieve, you mourn and then you also like want to give a reason, you know want to give a purpose for him…I mean, I want him to be remembered but not as the one to make me retire but maybe the one who keeps me fighting.”
And he certainly did Kobe proud tonight! Fighting the PFl heavyweight champion, Renan Ferreira, who towered over him, ‘The Predator’ took him to the ground and finished him off with heavy blows to the face, forcing the referee to step in and save the Brazilian.
