Francis Ngannou suffered an unspeakable tragedy when his 15-month-old son Kobe died.
An immensely private person, the former UFC heavyweight champion hadn’t really spoken publicly about his growing family outside the sport, but he posted a heartfelt statement regarding the death of his son after the news was first revealed back in April. Three months later, Ngannou is still trying to cope with the loss while raising a daughter and preparing to return to work as a fighter in the PFL.
During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Ngannou detailed the medical emergency that led to his son’s death.
“He has some malformation on his brain, which is something that we didn’t know,” Ngannou said. “He passed out twice. The first time was in Cameroon, we took him to the hospital. They didn’t find anything. The second time was in [Saudi Arabia], we took him to the hospital. They ran a lot of exams, they didn’t do anything. They did the EEG, they didn’t do the [CAT] scan or MRI, because according to them, their conclusion was that he had a swollen lung. That is what was pressing his chest and stopping him from breathing and it created that thing.
“After all those exams, they gave him some medicine, that he’s going to be OK. Nothing to worry about. Because at first, they even thought about asthma. They gave, like, a ventilator and then afterward, after some research they took it out. It [made me] confident.”
Ngannou says he trusted that the doctors had properly diagnosed the issues and that his son would inevitably recover. He ended up leaving his home in Cameroon to travel to Dubai, which is where he was training at the time.
“I remember just getting into Dubai and mental-wise, I’m not doing bad,” Ngannou said. “Life is good. I went to the gym, maybe I should go to the club tonight. I don’t go to clubs, I don’t go out. I went to the gym to workout. I’m in the back cycling, and then I tried to call, I wanted to talk to him and I was on the bike. I called his mom and his mom didn’t pick up the phone. I’m like after I’m done, I’m going to go take my shower, lay in bed and call him. Thirty minutes after, I was on the leg machine, my phone rang and it was my little brother.
“He said, ‘Bro, things are not going well here.’ I’m like, ‘What is it?’ [He said], ‘Kobe, he passed out, he’s not breathing, we are at the hospital, they kicked me out from the room.’ I’m like, ‘What’s happening?’ As we are talking, he’s also trying to get information so I lost him for like three or four minutes.”
Ngannou called his brother back and the nurse at the hospital attempted to verify his relationship to the child receiving emergency medical care. That’s when he heard the nurse tell his brother that his son had passed away.
“[She said], ‘Well, he’s gone.’ Just like that. He’s gone,” Ngannou said. “What do you mean he’s gone? How come he’s gone? This kid was 15 months, he was bigger than 15 months. He was growing. He was the most joyful happy kid around. What do you mean he’s gone? Gone where? That was it.
“I thought I was dreaming. I thought they were going to say that’s not true. I kept calling again and everybody confirmed it. I called my mom, my mom is in tears. What the f*ck is this? That was it.”
The news hit Ngannou like a sledgehammer and he struggled to comprehend that his son was actually dead.
Despite giving his family a comfortable life, and knowing that he was providing for them in every way possible, Ngannou admits he felt completely powerless after losing his son. He was reminded of losing his father when he was only 15 years old. At that time, Ngannou knew as a child that he really had no control over the situation. It was much more difficult to reconcile his son’s death because Ngannou tried to give him everything, which included the best possible medical care. Ultimately, it didn’t matter.
“That hurt,” Ngannou said. “That hurt a lot.”
Ngannou’s son Kobe—named after late NBA star Kobe Bryant—was laid to rest, but the pain from his loss continued to linger in the days and weeks following his passing. As much as he appreciated the outpouring of support in the wake of the tragedy, Ngannou struggled to fathom how his 15-month-old child was really gone and never coming back.
“You get back in the apartment and see all his toys, the stuff that he was playing [with], the things that you took from him the other day and put here, it’s right there but he’s not there anymore and will never be there anymore,” Ngannou said. “If they ask you what do you want or what can comfort you, you don’t know. It’s nothing. It’s really about facing it daily, take it one at a time.”
As Ngannou prepares to restart his fighting career later this year, he knows he’ll never escape the pain and anguish that goes along with the death of a child. He can only take solace in knowing that he’ll eventually be reunited with Kobe one day.
“At least whenever I die, I’m going to go see my kid,” Ngannou said. “I’m going to see him. I’m not afraid of [death]. I still want to live but when you get to that point, to think like that. So for some way you’re looking forward for whenever that happens.”
