Francis Ngannou: MMA fighter and boxer says his 15-month-old son Kobe has died

CNN
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Francis Ngannou’s 15-month-old son Kobe has died, the MMA fighter and boxer announced Monday.

“Too early to leave but he’s gone,” Ngannou wrote on Instagram. “My little boy, my companion, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now he lies lifeless. I shouted his name over and over again, but he didn’t respond.

Ngannou did not reveal the cause of his son’s death.

“I was my best self next to him and now I have no idea who I am,” Ngannou added in his Instagram post. “Life is so unfair that it hits us where it hurts the most.

“How do you deal with such a thing?” How can you live with this? Please help me if you have any idea, because I really don’t know what to do or how to handle this.

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“Why is life so unfair and unforgiving? Why does life always take what we don’t have? I’m fucking tired.

Many of Ngannou’s contemporaries have offered their condolences to the 37-year-old fighter, including former UFC champion Conor McGregor.

“I am so sorry to hear of your loss Francis, my prayers are with you and your family at this time,” he wrote on X.

Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin said he was “heartbroken” for the fighter.

“I’m so sorry you and your family are going through this,” Martin wrote on Instagram.

“I don’t even have the words to begin to tell you how bad I feel for you. I’m trying to write this without breaking down again. We’ve had our ups and downs as brothers, but NOTHING comes before our families and the love we have for them.

Ngannou’s trainer, Eric Nicksick, also offered his support to the fighter.

“You have been our rock, our guiding light through thick and thin. Now, as you face this unimaginable loss, know that we are here for you, ready to support you as you have always been for us,” Nicksick wrote on Instagram.

“Lean on us, cry with us, and let us share the burden of your grief. Together we will get through this dark time and together we will find a way to honor and remember your precious Kobe. You are not alone in this situation and you never will be.

Ngannou had made his living in the UFC, where he was heavyweight champion, but the veteran fighter recently traded the octagon for the ring.

During his first professional fight, nicknamed the “Battle of the Baddest”, against Tyson Fury, Ngannou put on a good show in front of spectators surprised by the speed with which he adapted to life as a boxer and by his ease with to someone considered one of the best. the best heavyweight boxers of the current generation in possible defeat.

Ngannou lost his second professional fight against Anthony Joshua in March.