TMZSports.com
Francis Ngannou returned to the cage final weekend — 6 months after tragedy struck his household — and the fight sports activities celebrity admits he was not sure whether or not he’d ever combat once more.
TMZ Sports activities talked to the 38-year-old former UFC champion turned boxer/PFL fighter simply days after he dispatched Renan Ferreira through a first-round knockout in Saudi Arabia … after which broke down in tears after the bout whereas speaking concerning the devastating lack of his little boy, Kobe.
“Oh, sure [I didn’t know if I’d fight again]. There was some extent that you just did not know something. Every part appeared so fragile,” Francis advised us, including his thoughts was racing a mile a minute throughout that horrific time.
FRANCIS NGANNOU KNOCKS OUT RENAN FERRERIA IN THE FIRST ROUND 😳#PFLSuperFights
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“You did not know if it is like some form of genetic pandemic, genetic illness. You did not know if it was like a curse. If it was simply unhealthy luck that is going to maintain occurring. There was some extent that, you already know, like a whole lot of stuff occurred in your head, stuff that you do not normally take into consideration.”
Ngannou made the combat look straightforward … however mentally and emotionally, says it was “by far the hardest” of his profession.
Finally, when deciding when to step again within the cage, Francis got here to the conclusion that the ache would by no means go away … so there was nothing to attend out.
“I did not really feel like there could be a time that it should go away, the place it should be okay. It is a kind of issues that you just simply notice at first that you just higher learn to roll with it as a result of it’s going to at all times be there.”
Try the total interview with Francis … we discuss what’s subsequent, together with the potential of preventing Jon Jones, Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder!