Francis Ngannou has returned to training at Xtreme Couture while coping with the tragic death of his 15-month-old son, with no definitive timeline for his next fight but support from his coach and team.
Francis Ngannou is back in the gym, but he’s still grappling with the immense tragedy of his 15-month-old son’s death in April.
The former UFC Heavyweight champion recently returned to training at Xtreme Couture. However, he hasn’t made any public statements about his career yet.
Ngannou remains signed to the PFL, where he was expected to face Renan Ferreira in his debut. He also has options in boxing after past matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Eric Nicksick, Ngannou’s longtime head coach and friend, revealed that it’s just good to have "The Predator" back in the gym again.
“He’s healing,” Nicksick said on The MMA Hour. “That’s the best I can say. He’s healing." You can see the smile returning to his face. He’s back talking trash to Sean Strickland and everyone else around.
But there’s a lot of healing going on inside. Occasionally, he’ll have moments of vulnerability.
No one is pressuring Ngannou to fight right now or anytime soon. Still, Nicksick says it’s definitely on his mind, even without an exact timeline for his return.
“He looked at me at dinner last week and said, ‘this next one’s for Kobe.’ That hit me hard,” Nicksick shared, referencing Ngannou’s son. “Whoever he’s fighting next, god bless them."
"It was nice having him home," Nicksick added. "We hugged, cried, laughed—those are moments you cherish with a brother like him."
Before this tragic loss, Ngannou hinted at both boxing and MMA as possibilities for his next fight. He remained committed to both moving forward.
He fell by knockout to Joshua back in March but still has plenty of opportunities awaiting him in boxing’s heavyweight division.
Of course, the PFL would love to see Ngannou finally debut after signing him to a lucrative multi-fight contract following his brief free agency stint post-UFC departure.
Nicksick isn’t sure what exactly is next for Ngannou but hopes he returns before 2024 concludes.
“I don’t know,” Nicksick admitted regarding Ngannou’s timeline for fighting again. “I hope so [this year]. Keeping him busy has been beneficial.”
"But no parent should ever go through what he did," Nicksick continued. "Time will tell and heal."
"I want him to find purpose in competing again," he added. "Whatever he decides, I’ll support him 110 percent.”