Francis Ngannou paying tribute in MMA return after son's death

Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou will make his return to MMA on Saturday at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after the death of his 15-month-old son earlier this year.

Ngannou is set to take on heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira (13-3) for the Super Fight title in the Professional Fighters League and will use his return to MMA as a tribute to his late son Kobe.

"A brave guy," Ngannou said of his young son to CNN Sport. "He came as a king and he left as a king. He was just something special. For some reason, he couldn't live longer. I had to look at him so many times and was impressed. I couldn't believe he was from me."

A cause of death was not revealed after Ngannou posted the news to social media in April.

The native of the Cameroon had 17 wins in 20 MMA bouts, with 12 of those victories by knockout. But the former UFC heavyweight champion departed in 2022 to begin a boxing career, losing on points to Tyson Fury in his first bout in October 2023 and getting knocked out by Anthony Joshua during his second in March.

"I'm looking to get back into MMA because, regardless of how I enjoy boxing, I do miss MMA," Ngannou said. "It's time to get back."

--Field Level Media