Midnight Roundup! Francis Ngannou breaks silence after son's tragic demise, Tom Aspinall shares thoughts on UFC 304 start time, and more 

The mixed martial arts world was recently sent reeling by the heartbreaking news of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou losing his 15-month-old baby boy. Elsewhere, Tom Aspinall shared his thoughts on the UFC 304 event in Manchester kicking off at U.S. primetime.

Catch up on all the latest developments in MMA and combat sports with Sportskeeda's Midnight Roundup.

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Francis Ngannou shares first statement following baby boy's heartbreaking demise

Francis Ngannou's family was recently struck with tragedy. The former UFC heavyweight champion lost his 15-month-old baby boy, Kobe Ngannou. The Cameroonian took to social media to share the news and initially posted a heartbreaking note expressing his sorrow.

In an X post, 'The Predator' questioned the "purpose of life" and why life was "unfair and merciless" to people. He wrote:

"What's the purpose of life if what we're fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!? Why is life so unfair and merciless? Why does life always take what we don't have? I'm f**king tired"

In a follow-up tweet, he wrote:

"01/13/2023 - 04/27/2024. Too soon to leave but yet he's gone. My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he's laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he's not responding. I was my best self next to him and now I have no [clue] of who I am. Life is so unfair to hit us where it hurts the most. How do you deal with such a thing? How can you live with it? Please help me if you have an idea because I really don't know what to do and how to deal with this."

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Tom Aspinall weighs in on the start times for the UFC 304 event in Manchester

Tom Aspinall recently shared his thoughts on the UFC 304 start timings and expressed his disappointment about UK fans having to stay up late to watch the pay-per-view event.

In a recent video posted to his socials, Aspinall revealed that he'll be competing on the Manchester card and shared his thoughts on UK fans having to potentially stay up till 3 A.M. BST due to the broadcaster favoring U.S. primetime. He said:

"I had a meeting with the UFC. It has now been confirmed that I am fighting on UFC Manchester. So, I’m back home preparing for that now. I’ve started the early stages of training camp. I’m just waiting for my opponent to accept [the fight]."

In another clip, he said:

''As a fan who wants to watch it live, I think it is absolutely terrible. It’s just not fair on the fans, not fair on the UK fans.''

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Charles Oliveira predicts Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at UFC 303

Charles Oliveira recently shared his prediction for the upcoming Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight. The Brazilian backed the Irishman to emerge victorious in his long-awaited comeback bout.

Oliveira also expressed how eager he was to fight McGregor and revealed that the former two-division champion had turned down a potential fight in the past. During an interview with Full Violence, 'do Bronx' said:

"I think that, in reality, it's a fight that will make money for both. That's the reality. It's a fight that's going to make more money. Of course, if Conor wins, he's could take a step towards the belt. He's a guy who's a huge star, but I think it's a fight for money... I think Conor [wins]."

He continued:

"Man, everyone knows. In fact, I've asked for this fight against Conor a thousand times, but it's a fight that I don't think he wants this fight and everyone knows it. I've said it a thousand times. It's a fight that will bring me a lot of money so I'd like it."

Catch Charles Oliveira's comments below (7:20):

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Alexandre Pantoja blasts Sean Strickland for potentially endangering his job

UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja isn't a fan of Sean Strickland and recently slammed the former middleweight champion for constantly belittling the flyweight division.

During a recent interview with CBS Sports, Pantoja slammed Strickland for his comments on women's MMA and the smaller weight divisions. He said:

"Don't say that. It's crazy because people say that. You want [me to] lose my money [and] lose my job? That's so crazy. Why [would] you say that? I'm very mad when Strickland said that for women and flyweight guys. Shut your mouth. Respect my job. I put food on my table with that. You're crazy."

He continued:

"Every flyweight worked so hard for that and that's why everyone respects each other in the flyweights. It's hard [when] you see someone say bad things about us because we work hard. That's a very hard division. We need to be training 100% [of the] time. It's not just about one punch here. You need to be good in grappling, good cardio, good striking, good every time in every place."

Catch Alexandre Pantoja's commente below (4:57):

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UFC midddleweight Sean Strickland questions immigrants who still fly their home flag in America

Sean Strickland is no stranger to controversy and is well-known for his outspoken nature. The former UFC middleweight champion recently took aim at immigrants in America and questioned why they hoisted their native flags despite living in their new country.

Strickland singled out the Hispanic immigrants and in an X post, he sounded off on them for flying the Mexican flag. He wrote:

"I'm so sick of seeing foreign flags in America..I don't get it. You left your corrupt country to come to the USA and yet you still rep what you fled? The worst is Hispanics born in America flying a Mexican flag.. Where is your loyalty.. Just go back.. Enjoy your foreign flag”