Coach hopes Francis Ngannou returns in 2024, says star promised ‘this next one’s for Kobe’
Francis Ngannou is back in the gym, but still dealing with the immense tragedy of the death of his 15-month-old son Kobe in April.
The former UFC Heavyweight champion returned to training at Xtreme Couture recently, although he hasn’t made any public statement regarding his career. Ngannou remains signed to PFL and expected to face Renan Ferreira in his debut. He also has options available to him in boxing after past matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Ngannou’s longtime head coach and friend Eric Nicksick revealed that, more than anything, it’s just good to have “The Predator” back in the gym again.
“He’s healing,” Nicksick said of Ngannou on The MMA Hour. “That’s the best I can say. He’s healing. You’re seeing the smile back on his face. You’re seeing the banter. He’s back in the gym talking trash to [Sean] Strickland and everybody around the room. That’s the most important thing. But all the while, you know there’s a lot of healing going on inside. Every once in a while he’ll have that moment where a vulnerability [shows itself].”
While no one is pressuring Ngannou to fight right now or anytime soon, Nicksick says it’s definitely on his mind, even if there’s no exact timeline for him to compete again.
“He looked at me at dinner last week and was like, ‘This next one’s for Kobe.’ That shit hit me,” Nicksick said referencing Ngannou’s son. “I was like, f*ck, whoever you’re fighting next, God bless them. If this is what we’re fighting for, this man is going to be dialed in.
“It was just nice to have him home. It was nice to give him a hug, and not even really have to say much, and just be there next to him and let him talk and let him vent. We cried, we hugged, we laughed, and those are the moments you have when you have a brother like him. Happy to have him home.”
Prior to the tragic loss of his son, Ngannou hinted at both boxing and MMA as possibilities for his next fight, remaining committed to both moving forward.
He fell by knockout to Joshua back in March, but there’s still plenty of opportunities awaiting him in boxing’s heavyweight division.
Of course, PFL would love to see Ngannou finally debut after the promotion signed him to a lucrative multi-fight contract following his UFC exit.
Nicksick isn’t sure what exactly is next for Ngannou, but he’s rooting for him to return before 2024 concludes.
“I really don’t know, to be honest with you,” Nicksick said about the timeline for Ngannou’s next fight. “I hope so [in 2024]. I hope so, because I think keeping him busy has been the best thing for him. It’s helped him a lot.
“But again, no parent should ever have to go through what he went through. Only time will tell, and time will heal. I hope that just because I want to see him compete again with this on him, I want him to be able to find a purpose in competing again. But whatever he decides to do, I’m going to have his back 110 percent.”