Cristiano Ronaldo shared pain of losing child with Francis Ngannou at emotional MMA fight
Francis Ngannou's coach shares a backstage conversation between the PFL superstar and Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the fight.
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Francis Ngannou and Cristiano Ronaldo (via Imago/X)
Francis Ngannou recently made his much-anticipated MMA comeback after a two-year gap. Ngannou fought PFL champion Renan Ferreira in a heavyweight clash and won the fight via TKO. Ngannou’s star power attracted a variety of celebrities, including soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Francis Ngannou and Cristiano Ronaldo have been longtime friends, having met several times. Ahead of Ngannou’s recent fight, the Real Madrid all-time top scorer was backstage with him, offering support before the bout. Ngannou’s coach, Erick Nicksick, was also present and recently shared insights into the conversation between the two stars.
He was talking about the loss of one of his children and how he related to that. I know how big of a star he is, but sitting next to me and having this very personal conversation made him feel like he was part of the team right then and there.
Eric Nicksick via MMA Junkie
‘The Predator’ recently lost his 15-month-old son and had no intentions to continue fighting. However, the fighter decided to come back and fight for his late son, ultimately winning the bout. Something similar happened with Ronaldo when he lost his newborn son in 2022. CR7 shared his grief publicly, expressing the deep pain of the loss, and also thanked his fans for their support.
Eric Nicksick says Cristiano Ronaldo felt like "part of the team" while in Francis Ngannou's locker room at #PFLSuperFights.
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 21, 2024
"He was talking about the loss of one of his children and how he related."
(via @MikeBohn) pic.twitter.com/ecedHpjyxX
For Francis Ngannou, the victory was deeply emotional, as he dedicated it to his late son in a heartfelt speech immediately following the win. This marked Ngannou’s first victory after two consecutive losses in boxing, making the moment even more significant. His story has resonated with fans and experts across the globe, including many of his former UFC colleagues.
UFC superstar reacts to Francis Ngannou’s emotional win at PFL
Francis Ngannou’s departure from UFC was rather shocking. However, during his time in the UFC, he made a lasting impact on the fans. In his UFC career, Ngannou has knocked out some of the biggest stars, including Stipe Miocic, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, etc. During his time, he also made some incredible friends like Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya.
At one time, three of fighters with African origin were UFC champions and called themselves the ‘Three African Kings‘. While the days are long gone, the comradery is still there. Last weekend, Adesanya watched Ngannou fight live and got emotional after hearing the octagon speech.
That was beautiful, ah I feel that man – that’s for Kobe…Y’all must have forgot bro…Flawless, that was a beautiful performance – he took one leg kick and dodged the flurry, timed his right hand and shot for a double, kept him there and knocked him out… I’m proud, inspired, and just happy to watch him do his thing.
Israel Adesanya via his YouTube channel
Adesanya’s allegiance to the Cameroonian-French is still unwavering. It was clear when the former champion called out the UFC for attempting to remove Ngannou’s history from the organization. Nonetheless, it will be intriguing to watch what happens next, as supporters are thrilled about Ngannou following his most recent performance.
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Ameetosh Dash
(946 Articles Published)