Francis Ngannou was visibly moved after his stunning knockout win against Renan Ferreira on Saturday, dedicating the “Battle of the Giants” to his son, Kobe, who tragically died in April at just 15 months old.

Following a dominant performance in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Super Fight heavyweight title bout, an emotional Ngannou hugged members of his team. Post-fight, he shared that his thoughts were with his late son.

“I can’t think of anything but my son Kobe,” Ngannou confessed. “You know, I only took this fight because of him, I wanted to fight for him. And I’m done. I hope they can remember his name because without Kobe, we wouldn’t be here tonight. I wouldn’t have fought.”

Grateful for the support during a tough period, Ngannou expressed his appreciation to the Riyadh crowd and praised Saudi Arabia for their hospitality. “Thank you everyone for coming. And thank you Saudi Arabia, thank you Riyadh for being a great host, for always having us here, taking good care of us. All the people here, very lovely, supporting,” he said.

Ngannou felt a special connection to the city, saying, “I think today I have more than a fan base in Saudi. I think in Riyadh I have what I could call, in another way, a family. Thank you guys.”

Ngannou didn’t waste any time in giving the audience a spectacle. Around midway through the first round, Ferreira managed to trap him in a triangle against the cage – but he swiftly powered his way out and went on the attack.

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Francis Ngannou defeated Renan Ferreira with 1:28 left in the first round of Saturday's fight

Francis Ngannou defeated Renan Ferreira with 1:28 left in the first round of Saturday’s fight ( 

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Getty)

After escaping Ferreira’s hold, Ngannou climbed onto his back and started raining down punches on his opponent’s head. After enduring several of these powerful blows, the Brazilian seemed to lose consciousness and collapsed flat on the mat – leading the referee to end the fight with 1:28 left in the initial round.

Saturday’s match was Ngannou’s first MMA competition since January 2022, around when he transitioned to professional boxing due to a contract disagreement with UFC. The 38-year-old made an immediate impact in his new sport, narrowly missing out on a shocking victory over Tyson Fury in his debut last October.

Then in March, Ngannou squared off against Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia but suffered multiple knockdowns in the opening two rounds before being knocked out by the two-time heavyweight champion shortly after.

A month after the crushing defeat, Ngannou shared the heartbreaking news of Kobe’s passing, with doctors unable to detect a brain malformation in the boy. While grappling with grief, he expressed his drive to compete in the PFL, stating: “This fight might be the thing that would really give me that feeling to be alive.

“Be that in that environment that is in mind. Not that I will forget what happened. I’ll [never] forget the loss of my kid, of my boy, but maybe you can still have that feeling. Connect with that place that’s yours that you belong to.”