Francis Ngannou recently addressed Renan Ferreira’s remarks, which appeared divisive, following the untimely demise of his infant child. The former UFC heavyweight champion mourned the devastating loss of his 15-month-old son, Kobe, in April after complications arising from mild brain inflammation and a swollen lung.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, ‘The Predator’ explained that he didn’t take anything personally, believing that Ferreira isn’t the type of person who would resort to such behavior. He linked the misunderstandings to problems with translation:
“I don’t think he’s that kind of guy who’s going to say such a bad thing, and I didn’t take it personally. I have been in this situation where I have to speak English, which is not his first language, just as it is not mine. I have to speak, and they have to translate for me, and most of the time it doesn’t come out the way I was expressing it.”
He added:
“He [Ferreira] seems to be a nice guy overall. Even before the fight was announced, I met him, and he’s very respectful, so I don’t think he had any intent to say something like that at any point. He didn’t show any sign of disrespect or anything like that, which wouldn’t matter.”
Ngannou is set to face Ferreira in the main event of PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants, vying for the promotion’s heavyweight title this weekend at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
At a pre-fight press conference in August, Ferreira remarked that ‘The Predator’ was having a rough year, alluding to his boxing losses against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. This was perceived as ‘Problema’ suggesting that their fight would be more challenging than Ngannou’s experience of losing his son.
However, the PFL translator made some blunders by rendering his comments as “Francis has been going through a tough year in his life.” The phrase “in his life” was never mentioned in Portuguese.
When Francis Ngannou reminisced about the last time he saw son Kobe before devastating tragedy
During his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience in July, Francis Ngannou reflected on his last moments with his son, Kobe, revealing that their final time together occurred just before he departed Cameroon for a fight. He recounted how his son was reluctant to see him leave:
“The last time I saw him was me leaving Cameroon, going to the elevator, and he was with my little brother. He didn’t want me to go because he had become my buddy so much that even when I was around, he didn’t want me to leave him alone… Then you start thinking about all those little things that you guys have, just you and him; then it’s over. The day that I was leaving, he was crying, like he wanted to come with me.”
