Former UFC heavyweight division titleholder Francis Ngannou of Cameroon has admitted that he decided to continue his fighting career for the sake of his one-and-a-half-year-old son Kobi, who passed away.
Ngannou was quoted as saying by BJ Penn as saying:
The past few months haven't been the easiest. I need to keep it going, to fight for my boy, for Kobe. It's not that I have come close to retiring. It's just that in this circumstance you think, you have different thoughts. You see how fragile life is.
Ngannou will fight Renan Ferreira on October 19 at the PFL tournament.
Ngannou, 37, last fought in mixed martial arts at UFC 270 in January 2022, defeating Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision. He has 17 wins and three losses under his belt.