Francis Ngannou has got a new tattoo ahead of his MMA comeback fight.
Ngannou hasn’t fought in MMA since outpointing Ciryl Gane to defend his heavyweight title at UFC 270 in January 2022.
Since then, he’s left the UFC, joined PFL, and made millions in boxing bouts with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, who brutally knocked him out when they fought in March.
Sadly, he’s also suffered a devastating personal loss. In April, Ngannou was inundated with well wishes after he announced that his 15-month-old son Kobe had died due to a brain malformation that went undiagnosed by doctors.
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Francis Ngannou debuts new tattoo tribute ahead of PFL debut
On Saturday, Ngannou will return to the cage against 6ft 8in Brazilian knockout artist Renan Ferreira in the main event of PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants, which will take place at the Mayadeen in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou and Ferreira weighed in at a combined 500+lbs on Friday morning to make the fight official.
During his moment on the scales, ‘The Predator’ flexed his bicep to show off his new tattoo to the crowd and everyone watching at home. Ngannou also pointed to the tattoo of his late son’s name, which was accompanied by another of a bird taking flight.
The touching tribute was missed by many, but it wasn’t long before eagle-eyed fans pointed it out.
One person tweeted: “This is heartbreaking.”
Another said: “Bless him life’s not f***ing fair man it never is! Rest up lil man.”
A third person added: “Believe me! Nobody should want to fight that man right now with that type of motivation.”
Someone else commented: “Respectful tribute to a legend, hope the fight goes well for Francis!”
Francis Ngannou has dedicated fight with Renan Ferreira to Kobe
Ngannou has spoken about feeling helpless when his son took ill and suddenly passed away.
The 38-year-old has been fighting to make a better life for his family but he was unable to do anything to save Kobe. Now he’s dedicated his comeback bout to his son’s memory.
“The best way to pay tribute to him, to honor him, is to do something positive,” Ngannou told CNN Sport.
“To keep staying active because that’s the best way to pay tribute to him instead of just quit because, if I stop fighting, that would have been like quit. It wasn’t a time for me to retire, to stop fighting.
“(He was) a brave guy. He came as a king, and he left as a king. He was just something special.
“For some reason, he couldn’t live longer. I had to look at him so many times and was impressed. I couldn’t believe he was from me. He was the best thing that could be in me.”