Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo offered their condolences to Francis Ngannou after the former UFC heavyweight champion announced that his 15-month-old son had tragically passed away.
After experiencing every parent’s worst nightmare, the MMA community rallied around Ngannou, offering their support to the combat sports superstar.
Discussing the turn of events during a recent episode of their Pound 4 Pound podcast on YouTube, Usman expressed empathy, promising to be there for his “brother” in any way possible.
“As a parent to have to hear the news that you lost your child… I can’t even put it into words how heartbreaking that is. A couple of years ago we went through it with my younger brother, Mohammed Usman, who lost his son,” Usman said. “To hear my brother Francis lose his son, it’s extremely heavy on my heart. I don’t even know what to say. I’m mourning for my man right now. I’m hurting for him.”
“When things happen to us, it’s extremely difficult to deal with it because we have to find a way to dig ourselves out. Life is about our memories. What we make along the way. It’s about the journey and this is a very difficult obstacle to get through, but Francis is my brother and I will try to be there for him in any way possible.”
Offering some words of support, Henry Cejudo hopes that Francis Ngannou can find peace amid the turmoil.
“It’s hard. We saw the texts from Francis pleading with people [asking] how he can cope with it and that life is unfair,” Cejudo added. “It hits home because we just don’t know this game called life. You just said it. Your brother lost his kid. You lost your nephew.
“I lost my sister this year. Mike Tyson lost his little girl. There’s just a lot that we have to deal with. My heart is heavy and I think the whole MMA community, their heart is heavy. It’s unfortunate. I hope Francis can find some peace in this crazy time.”
The MMA Community Rallies Around Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou received an outpouring of support from the MMA community, including Irish megastar Conor McGregor who offered his condolences to ‘The Predator’ and his family during this trying time.
Ngannou’s longtime coach Eric Nicksick also commented on the situation, asking everyone to keep Francis Ngannou and his family in their thoughts.
“It’s been a heavy few days, words can’t express the pain we all feel for the Ngannou family during this time,” Nicksick shared. “Please keep Francis and his family in your heart, and may this be a reminder of the fragility of life. Say “I love you,” more often, tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.”
— Eric Nicksick (@Eric_XCMMA) April 29, 2024