Francis Ngannou’s 18-month-old son dies… as former UFC champion turned boxer shares heartbreaking message on social media

Francis Ngannou’s 18-month-old son has died, according to reports.

Reports were published on Cameroonian website 237online.com regarding the tragic news and the former UFC champion turned boxer appeared to confirm it with a heartbreaking social media post.

Speaking to X, Ngannou said: “What is the purpose of life if what we fight tooth and nail to escape is what ultimately hits us the hardest!?”

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

Several fans and fellow fighters were quick to send their wishes to the Cameroonian, including Conor McGregor.

Information was published in the Cameroonian media 237online.com regarding this tragic news.

Ngannou then appeared to confirm the news with a heartbreaking post on his X account

The Irishman – who has four children – responded to Ngannou’s post and said: “I’m so sorry to hear of your loss Francis, my prayers are with you and your family at this time.”

Ngannou, who grew up in Batie, Cameroon, where he was raised by a single mother, has also received huge support from his homeland, with the former UFC champion remaining extremely close to his roots.

Ngannou endured an inspiring journey to the top after being forced to walk six miles every day to school and dig sand mines when he was just 10 years old.

Growing up, he traveled from Cameroon to the north of the continent, passing through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria before reaching Morocco.

Ngannou eventually settled in Paris, where he met trainer Fernand Lopez, who convinced him to take up MMA rather than boxing.

Reflecting on his fighter journey last year, he said: “For me, I just started MMA for fun. I had time to train so I thought why not train in MMA too.

“And then things happened really quickly and they started asking me if I wanted to fight.” And I said, “Yeah, let’s do it.”

“I didn’t realize how fast it was going until the coach said, ‘We have a UFC contract for you’.”

After winning five of his first six mixed martial arts, Ngannou signed his first contract with the UFC and quickly set about making an impact on the promotion.

Six successive victories where he demonstrated his punching power earned him a heavyweight title shot against Stipe Miocic, but he suffered a blowout defeat in 2018.

He rebuilt himself from the loss by beating Miocic and Derrick Lewis in brutal fashion, with a string of knockout victories. The Predator won three of his next four fights in under a minute, including a victory after just 20 seconds against Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 2020.

The 37-year-old made the decision to leave the UFC in January 2022 after defending his title against Ciryl Gane.

His UFC career ended with a record of 17 wins and three losses, including 12 knockouts.

After leaving the promotion, he signed with the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL), and he has since immersed himself in the world of boxing.

Conor McGregor was among the first to offer his condolences to the Cameroonian.

Ngannou enjoyed an inspiring rise to the top after growing up in poverty in Cameroon

He made his boxing debut against Tyson Fury last year and lost despite an impressive performance.

Ngannou was then knocked out in the second round when he faced Anthony Joshua in March.

Ngannou fought Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, suffering a close loss to the Gypsy King, before the Cameroonian lost heavily to AJ.

In his March fight against Joshua, which reportedly earned Ngannou around £15million, the Cameroonian was knocked out in the second round following a devastating blow as he struggled to back up his previous performance in the ring .

Speaking after his defeat, Ngannou said: “Sorry guys, I let you all down. Today was a bad day at the office but tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for the love.

Ngannou was expected to make his PFL debut against defending champion Renan Ferreira this summer, although that is now uncertain following the tragic news.

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