"This was hard to watch" - Fans react as Francis Ngannou breaks down at the PFL presser while talking about his late son Kobe

Francis Ngannou is set to make his highly-anticipated return to mixed martial arts when he faces PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira. It will mark his promotional debut and his first time competing in the sport in nearly three years. Over that time, 'The Predator' has taken two boxing matches to stay active.

On a personal level, he suffered a devastating loss as he announced the passing of his 15-month-old son Kobe Ngannou in April. The former UFC heavyweight champion shed tears at the press conference for PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants, stating:

"Lately, things been a little tough. I even questioned if I have to continue or if I should just hang up the gloves and stuff, but then I realized that that should be a purpose for me. I didn't have a chance to fight for my son, man, so I think this is it."

Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on fighting for his son below:

Fans reacted to an emotional Ngannou. @CBsportszn noted that it was difficult to watch while praising 'The Predator' for his strength:

"This was hard to watch... What a strong man"

@RuflonMMA shared a similar sentiment:

"Hurts to see francis like this man 💔"

@Manny_Ribera__ claimed that his emotions spell trouble for Ferreira:

"damn, that other dude is f**ked 😨"

@Schnizull believes that Ngannou will either look his best or look his worst:

"we're either going to see the absolute best version of Francis or the worst. There's no in-between"

Check out the best fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

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Francis Ngannou nearly retired following the loss of his son

Francis Ngannou has had to overcome plenty of hardships to reach the level of stardom he has attained in the combat sports world. 'The Predator' faced his toughest challenge in 2024, however, as his 15-month-old son Kobe Ngannou tragically passed away.

Speaking to Sky Sports Boxing, the former UFC heavyweight champion revealed that he nearly retired, stating:

"The past three months hasn't been the easiest ones. I think it has been by far my hardest [hardship] in life. I lost my son. For some time, I felt like I didn't even have to do this or questioning about if I should do it or fight again or something, but I know that my son would like something good in his memory and I want to do something good in his memory. To use this not to be the reason for me to quit, but, maybe, to be a motivation and also fight for him."

Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on the loss of his son below:

Ngannou added that the loss left him feeling powerless and questioning the importance of life. He noted that he has never had a bigger motivation to fight.