Francis Ngannou measures 6 feet and 4 inches (193 cm). After 17 victories, in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), he decided to cross into professional boxing where he had an impressive debut. He would knock down Tyson Fury, but failed to win the match, losing in a split-second decision.
Then he got devastated, knocked down three times by Anthony Joshua in his second pro boxing fight in March this year.
Francis Ngannou decided to cross into professional boxing where he had an impressive debut. He would knock down Tyson Fury, but failed to win the match, losing in a split-second decision.
This wasn’t just a defeat. It was a blowing loss. He could be seen regaining consciousness after being knocked out cold in the second round of their fight. Afterwards, he went to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to announce that the fight was “a bad day in office,” apologising to his fans for letting them down.
More devastation would follow, however. Ngannou, known as ‘The Predator’ says he lived “the hardest experience” in his life the following month after he lost his son, Kobe, on April 27.
Ngannou,37, isn’t a quitter though. And his determination to punch down setbacks is obvious. In Cameroon, where he has been holed up training to resume fights, he spoke of his motivation, losses and how to rise up again. This is a man who has made a name for himself. The stats are: He won titles in his MMA career with 12 knockouts in 17 victories. He has also earned money. The losses in the boxing ring hurt so much. But nothing compared to losing a son, the one problem he couldn’t knock out.
“I lived the hardest experience in my life which makes everything that I have ever been through meaningless,” he told The EastAfrican.
“I felt like I got hit by the same thing I have been avoiding in my entire life. I am tough, yeah, but I felt like I didn’t fight for him, I couldn’t fight for him,” a teary Ngannou recalled the son’s death.
Kobe was one of the fans who watched Joshua floor his father in the second round of the 10-round heavyweight bout at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia a month earlier. And his father had plans for him.
“They had just finished building a rooftop basketball court for him in Yaounde the night that he died,” Ngannou told The EastAfrican.
“Though he was just 15 months old, all my dreams were already on him. I was looking for him to be whatever I am not, thinking about his education, maybe invest in a school that he will attend but I have never ever thought that something will happen to him…He was more than just a kid, he was a multiple project.”
Now the project has crumbled in just an instant leaving Ngannou in a state of fragility. “Since April, I have been questioning a lot of stuff, even asking myself, should I [continue to] do this, should I just stop, is it worth it… It is the moment in life that you feel you have all but all of a sudden you realise you have nothing,” Ngannou explained.
One thing about this Cameroonian athlete, however, is his resolve to fight on. Ngannou is back on his feet and has chosen to go back to MMA. He is also back in his native Batie in the West Region of Cameroon, where he has been training ahead of his highly anticipated return to the sports he says provides him “a different adrenaline”.
He will face heavyweight champion, Brazilian Renan Ferreira, for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Super Fight belt on October 19.
Francis Ngannou is back to his native Batie in the West Region of Cameroon where he has been training ahead of his MMA return.
A former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), heavyweight champion, Ngannou signed with PFL, touted as a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide, in May 2023 and was named chairman of PFL Africa in July this year.
“I am very excited returning to MMA…Even before I signed for PFL, I had watched highlights of Renan Ferreira. Renan is a great fighter; I have been watching him for years,” Ngannou said. “I have been studying him for years, infact I’ve been telling people to watch this guy”.
Ngannou said in his life, he has fought for a lot of different purposes and in October the fight against Ferreira “is just another fight but with a different purpose” -- fight in memory of his son, Kobe. “I cannot forget the loss of my kid… I am looking forward to using it as a motivation,” Ngannou says.
This mega-fight between two of the most devastating strikers on the planet is a true test for the returning undisputed Heavyweight World Champion in his historic MMA return, PFL said in a statement on August 7.
“MMA fans around the world will witness a true battle of the greatest fighters on the planet competing for the PFL Super Fights Championship Belts,” PFL CEO, Peter Murray said.
Francis Ngannou is back to his native Batie in the West Region of Cameroon where he has been training ahead of his MMA return.
While the PFL has a unique MMA competition format that includes a regular season, a postseason and a championship event, Ngannou will compete only on the promotion's super fight cards.
Renan Ferreira, known as “Problema”, has fought eight times since Ngannou's last MMA bout, including February's 21-second victory over longtime Bellator champion Ryan Bader.
He will look to impose his will over a household name and show the world who has been the king in Ngannou’s absence.
