Physical Address
Suite 5, 181 High Street,
Willoughby North NSW 2068
Francis Ngannou openly wept after he made a thunderous return to MMA on Sunday.
The “Baddest Man On The Planet” was clinical in his first round KO win over Professional Fighters League (PFL) reigning heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira.
The former UFC heavyweight champ wriggled out of a take down and then got on top of his opponent before unleashing a devastating barrage of left arm hooks while Ferreira was powerless to stop them.
The referee was slow to stop the fight and Ferreira was forced to endure a barrage of shots where he slumped to lie motionless on his front before the fight was finally stopped.
Ngannou turned away from Ferreira after the fight and started sobbing as he rested with his back on the cage.
BOXING: TSZYU V MURTAZALIEV | Tim Tszyu faces off against undefeated IBF super welterweight champ Bakhram Murtazaliev | SUN 20 OCT 10:30AM AEDT | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
He broke down in tears again when his entourage entered the cage and started hugging him.
Ngannou’s 15-month-old son Kobe died just five months ago.
Francis Ngannou thrashed the face of Renan Ferreira.Source: TwitterThere were fears Ngannou would never fight again when his son died as a result of an undiagnosed brain malformation.
Kobe was clearly on Ngannou’s mind when he settled from the frenzies first round win.
“I can’t think about anything but my son. I took this fight for Kobe,” he said in the ring.
“Please remember my son. I hope people remember his name, because without Kobe we wouldn’t be here tonight, I wouldn’t have fought.
“It has been tough. Not only the training camp but the past few days have been full of emotion. I couldn’t do anything without thinking about it.
“I tried to be strong and give everything to keep moving but it’s hard.”
Ngannou had not fought since his Ko loss to former boxing world champ Anthony Joshua earlier this year.
Francis Ngannou broke down in tears. Photo: Twitter, Professional Fighters League.Source: SuppliedHe had also lost to Tyson Fury in an exhibition fight since leaving the UFC in 2022.
He said in the lead up to Sunday’s fight that he was definitely going to be emotional no matter what the result was going to be.
“It’s motivation that I really wish I wouldn’t have had, but, unfortunately, that’s my motivation today,” the 38-year-old told Al Jazeera when asked about his son.
“I think this [kind of loss] is something that you are never the same after.
“It’s just about how to find a way to roll with it because you cannot sit around and wait for it to go away. And it’s part of you now, it’s a new life. You feel like a new person.”
Ngannou is tied to the PFL and the mega-money on offer for fighting in Saudi Arabia and his next fight remains uncertain.
