Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, suffered every parent’s worst nightmare when he lost his 15-month old son Kobe earlier this year, not long removed from his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in “The Predator’s” second crossover boxing bout.
No word yet on when Ngannou plans to make his combat sports comeback, but head coach Eric Nicksick is not ruling out a potential return before the end of the year.
“I really don’t know, to be honest with you, I hope so,” Nicksick told The MMA Hour when asked if Ngannou would fight again in 2024. “I hope so, because I think keeping him busy has been the best thing for him. It’s helped him a lot. He looked at me at dinner last week and was like, ‘This next one’s for Kobe.’ That sh*t hit me. I was like, f*ck, whoever you’re fighting next, God bless them. If this is what we’re fighting for, this man is going to be dialed in.”
The loss to Joshua is likely to send Ngannou back to MMA. “The Predator” is currently signed with PFL but has yet to make his “SmartCage” debut, though a potential matchup against the promotion’s heavyweight champion, Renan Ferreira, is expected to serve as his return fight.
“He’s healing,” Nicksick continued. “That’s the best I can say. He’s healing. You’re seeing the smile back on his face. You’re seeing the banter. He’s back in the gym talking trash to [Sean] Strickland and everybody around the room. That’s the most important thing. But all the while, you know there’s a lot of healing going on inside. Every once in a while he’ll have that moment where a vulnerability [shows itself].”
Ngannou (17-3) turns 38 in September.