Francis Ngannou dedicates KO to his late son Kobe, who died at 15 months old

His name was Kobe.

Francis Ngannou defeated the 1.90 meter tall, 110 kg Brazilian Renan Ferreria with a devastating first-round knockout in the MMA cage at the PFL Super Fights in Saudi Arabia. But all he could think about was Kobe, the name of his son, who died in April at 15 months old.

“I hope they can remember his name because without Kobe we wouldn’t be here tonight,” Ngannou said with tears in his eyes. “I wouldn’t have fought.”

In fact, Ngannou, the former UFC champion, said he came to his heavyweight fights unsure of his fate. And not because it was his first MMA fight since January 2022, after which he left the UFC over a contract dispute.

More: Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou hopes to regain his passion for fighting amid his grief

It was his first fight since his son's death. According to Ngannou, it has been less than six months since doctors were unable to identify a brain malformation that led to Kobe's death. Previously, Ngannou said, he tried to understand how other parents who have lost children must feel.