He was only 15 months old: The martial arts star Francis Ngannou mourns the loss of his son and turns to his fans in perplexity.
The MMA fighter Francis Ngannou (37) is currently mourning the loss of his little son, who died at just 15 months old. In desperation, the mixed martial arts fighter turned via X to his followers. “Too early to go and yet he is gone,” the athlete wrote. “My little boy, my buddy, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy,” Francis Ngannou continued. “Now he’s lying there lifeless. I kept calling his name, but he doesn’t answer,” he said, describing his child’s death. According to his tweet, Kobe died on April 27, 2024.
“I was my best self next to him and now I have no idea who I am,” the French-Cameroonian athlete continued. And: “Life is so unfair and hits us where it hurts the most.”
“How can you live with that?”
Then Francis Ngannou asked his fans for advice: “How do you deal with something like this? How can you live with it? Please help me if you have an idea because I really don’t know what to do and how to deal with it .”
Two hours before posting the news of his death, Ngannou addressed his followers. “What is the meaning of life if what we try with all our might to avoid ends up hitting us the hardest?” he asked rhetorically. And continued in this sense: “Why is life so unfair and merciless? […] I’m damn tired.” He didn’t mention the death of his son. The cause of death is not yet known.
Cameroon-born Francis Ngannou came to Paris at the age of 26. There he started boxing, later switching to mixed martial arts. He became a two-time heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship MMA organization.
In October 2023, Ngannou competed in an exhibition fight against boxer Tyson Fury (35). He was trained by boxing legend Mike Tyson (57). In 2009 he lost his daughter, who died at the age of four in an accident while playing.