Francis Ngannou wanted to walk away from fighting after the death of his son.
In 2024, Ngannou suffered one of the greatest tragedies that can befall a person: the death of his child. Ngannou’s 15-month-old son, Kobe, died suddenly from complications from a malformation on his brain, completely upending the former UFC heavyweight champion’s life.
“It’s something that you will never forget,” Ngannou told Daniel Cormier on Cormier’s YouTube channel. “It definitely brings you to see life in a different
way. And then he happened in a moment of my life that I was so on the go. It was in the moment of my life that I haven’t worried if I still have emotions anymore, and it kind of reminds me that, ‘Oh no, I just ignored it, but all the emotions are there.’ It was a trigger to find out that I’m still sensitive, still just a human as everybody. A different experience.
“You don’t know how you will feel, you don’t know how you will react, and then when you get there, you feel how life can be fragile. Man, I’m out here fighting for this, I’m thinking I’m thinking for this, but tomorrow, today, every moment can be the last. For me, for my loved ones. And it’s not even about him that you worry. I don’t have control over anybody around me. I can be anybody tomorrow, or now, the next hour. And then you get traumatized by that.”
Cormier knows how Ngannou feels, losing his daughter in a car crash in 2003. The two commiserated over the intense feelings of guilt after the deaths, with Ngannou telling Cormier he was ready to hang up the gloves.
“I didn’t want to keep fighting,” Ngannou said. “I didn’t want to keep doing anything, because I found no reason for fighting. I find no purpose of it, because the reason why I was fighting was for security, for a better life. Then, I felt so powerless in front of the situation, I couldn’t do anything, I’m like, ‘What’s the point of fighting if I cannot even fight for my son? What am I looking for?’
“Basically, I’m thinking of the last time that I saw him. It was me leaving the apartment, going to the elevator, and my brother had him, and he was crying to me, didn’t want me to leave, was coming to me. But I just knew I was going to be back, just knew it was going to be OK. Those moments that you take for granted. I’m like, ‘I’m going to be back.’ Then, when it happened, all of a sudden, I’m like, ‘Where was I going?’ You don’t even know where you were going. Nothing even mattered. I’m like, I should have just sat there to hang out.”
Ngannou ultimately did not retire, returning in October of that year to fight Renan Ferreira in the PFL, scoring a first-round knockout. He dedicated that win to Kobe, and as Ngannou prepares to fight Philipe Lins this Saturday at MVP MMA 1, he revealed that it was Kobe who inspired him to return to what he does best.
“I wanted to stop everything,” Ngannou said. “I was like, ‘I don’t need this anymore, I don’t feel like doing this anymore.’ But at some point, I felt like I was putting the responsibility on him to stop fighting. So now, he’s basically responsible for me stopping, giving up fighting. He didn’t deserve that responsibility. I didn’t have to put that on him. I should just keep doing, even for him. Since I couldn’t fight for him in the other way, maybe I should just keep fighting for him, instead of retire for him.”
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VIDEO STEW
Eric Nicksick talks Sean Strickland’s big win.
MVP Open Workouts.
MVP Uncut, episode 2.
Nate Diaz fight camp.
Arnold Allen fight week.
Get to know the legend Frankie Edgar.
FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR
No Bets Barred.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
The definitive fight week schedule.
Ouch.
UFC not the only one using AI to make promos.
One of one.
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Big Country is ready to step in if needed.
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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Brad Tavares (20-12) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (17-11, 1 NC); UFC Oklahoma City, July 18
Thad Jean (11-0) vs. Shamil Musaev (20-1-1); PFL D.C., July 25.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Just a couple of sleeps until Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano fight each other. Strange that this is going to be the most-watched MMA event of all time and it feels low key. Maybe it’ll pick up the next two days.
On that note, no Morning Report tomorrow, so enjoy the fights this weekend and see y’all on Monday.
EXIT POLL
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