Francis Ngannou's speech in full as he breaks down over death of young son

Francis Ngannou knocked retired Renan Ferreira successful the archetypal round, conscionable months aft the erstwhile UFC heavyweight champion mislaid his one-year-old son

Francis Ngannou broke down successful tears astatine the thought of his precocious lad arsenic helium returned to winning ways successful the cage.

Ngannou was making his comeback successful MMA aft a two-flight flirtation with boxing saw him beaten by Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. And the erstwhile UFC heavyweight champion wasted nary clip successful reminding radical of his quality arsenic he destroyed PFL champion Renan Ferreira wrong 4 minutes.

Ngannou took the combat to the level successful the aboriginal stages and soon had implicit control. He bludgeoned the Brazilian with a barrage of blows, yet forcing the referee to measurement in. Ngannou's celebrations were muted arsenic helium crouched down successful his country earlier the authoritative effect was announced. He past struggled to support his composure erstwhile helium was interviewed.

"I can't deliberation astir thing different than my lad Kobe," helium said. "I lone took this combat due to the fact that of him and I'm done. I anticipation they tin retrieve his sanction because, without Kobe, we wouldn't beryllium present contiguous and I wouldn't person fought. Thank you everyone for coming, convey you to Saudi Arabia, to Riyadh for being a large host, having america present and looking aft us. The radical are are beauteous and supportive and contiguous I person a fanbase successful Saudi and what I tin telephone a family.

"It has been tough. Not lone the grooming campy but the past fewer days person been afloat of emotion. I couldn’t bash thing without reasoning astir it. I tried to beryllium beardown and springiness everything to support moving but it’s hard." Asked astir however helium felt up of his return, Ngannou added: "I knew I hadn't missed a step. As soon arsenic I walked into the gym for MMA I knew everything was inactive there. It was conscionable astir managing my emotions and dealing with life. That's what I was about, I've been moving hard and we're here, we yet got a. result.

"Thank you to my team, my family, everybody who has been astir here. I took them distant from their household for astir 2 months to enactment maine and my brainsick imagination which has nary limit. I don't cognize if my imagination makes consciousness but present we are, convey you guys." Asked whether his program had ever been to instrumentality the combat to the floor, Ngannou added: "That was an option; I'm a mixed martial creator truthful that means I'm multi-dimensional truthful it was decidedly an option. Not the lone alternate but since the accidental was there, I was present to instrumentality everything that came my mode and present we are."

Ngannou has said helium wants to person boxing fights successful the aboriginal but was noncommittal astir his adjacent outing. "I deliberation my adjacent determination successful combat sports depends connected me; however I consciousness and however I woody with my beingness close now. I ever thought I person a batch to springiness successful combat athletics and hopefully one support reasoning that mode and support that thought successful life. I conscionable privation to say, delight retrieve my son, retrieve my lad Kobe. I dedicate this to him, this is to Kobe."