Francis Ngannou's 18-month-old son has died, according to reports.
Reports broke in Cameroon outlet 237online.com surrounding the tragic news and the former UFC champion-turned boxer appeared to confirm this with a heartbreaking social media post.
Taking to X, Ngannou said as cited by Sports Central: '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***ing tired.'
Several fans and fellow fighters were quick to send their well-wishes to the Cameroonian, including Conor McGregor.
The Irishman - who has four children - replied to Ngannou's post and said: 'I am so sorry to hear of your loss Francis, my prayers are with you and your family at this time.'
Ngannou's coach, Eric Nicksick, added: 'It’s been a heavy few days, words can’t express the pain we all feel for the Ngannou family during this time. '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.'
The circumstances surrounding the death of Ngannou's son are unknown at this time.
Ngannou, who grew up in Batie, Cameroon, where he was raised by a single mother, similarly received huge support from those in his homeland, with the former UFC champion remaining extremely close to his roots.
Ngannou has endured an inspirational journey to the top after he was forced to walk six miles to go to school every day and was digging sand mines when he was just 10-years-old.
As he got older he made the journey from Cameroon to the north of the continent - travelling through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria before reaching Morocco.
Ngannou eventually settled in Paris, where he met the trainer Fernand Lopez, who would convince him to take up MMA instead of boxing.
Reflecting on his fighting journey last year, he said: 'For me I just started in MMA for fun. I had time to train so I thought why not train MMA as well. 'And then things went very fast and they start asking did I want to fight. And I said "Yes let's do it". 'I didn't realise how fast it was going until the coach said to me "We've got a UFC contract for you''.'
After winning five of his opening six mixed martial arts, Ngannou penned his first UFC contract and quickly set about making an impact in the promotion.
Six successive wins where he showcased his punching power earned him a heavyweight title shot against Stipe Miocic, but he suffered a blowout loss in 2018.
He rebuilt from the defeat by beating Miocic and Derrick Lewis in brutal fashion, with a series of knockout wins. 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 took 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 quittomg the promotion, he signed with the Professional Fighter's League (PFL), and he has since dipped his toes into the boxing world.
.
