Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo offered their condolences to Francis Ngannou after the former UFC heavyweight champion announced that his 15-month-old son had tragically passed away.
After experiencing every parent’s worst nightmare, the MMA community rallied around Ngannou, offering their support to the combat sports superstar.
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 29, 2024
Discussing the turn of events during a recent episode of their Pound 4 Pound podcast on YouTube, Usman expressed empathy, promising to be there for his “brother” in any way possible.
“As a parent to have to hear the news that you lost your child… I can’t even put it into words how heartbreaking that is. A couple of years ago we went through it with my younger brother, Mohammed Usman, who lost his son,” Usman said. “To hear my brother Francis lose his son, it’s extremely heavy on my heart. I don’t even know what to say. I’m mourning for my man right now. I’m hurting for him.”
“When things happen to us, it’s extremely difficult to deal with it because we have to find a way to dig ourselves out. Life is about our memories. What we make along the way. It’s about the journey and this is a very difficult obstacle to get through, but Francis is my brother and I will try to be there for him in any way possible.”
Offering some words of support, Henry Cejudo hopes that Ngannou can find peace amid the turmoil.
“It’s hard. We saw the texts from Francis pleading with people [asking] how he can cope with it and that life is unfair,” Cejudo added. “It hits home because we just don’t know this game called life. You just said it. Your brother lost his kid. You lost your nephew.
“I lost my sister this year. Mike Tyson lost his little girl. There’s just a lot that we have to deal with. My heart is heavy and I think the whole MMA community, their heart is heavy. It’s unfortunate. I hope Francis can find some peace in this crazy time.”
Kamaru Usman is Excited to See ‘The King of Rio’ Return at UFC 301
Looking ahead to this Saturday’s UFC 301 card in Rio de Janeiro, Kamaru Usman shared his excitement over the return of perhaps the greatest featherweight in the history of MMA, Jose Aldo.
Jose Aldo Returns!
Jonathan Martinez welcomes @JoseAldoJunior back to the Octagon at #UFC301! pic.twitter.com/4akTzYTxCc
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 20, 2024
After taking a brief sabbatical from the Octagon to test out his skills in the boxing ring, ‘Junior’ is back for a co-main event clash with streaking standout Jonathan Martinez inside the Jeunesse Arena.
“‘The King of Rio’ Jose Aldo is back after taking a stint away, boxing,” Usman said. “I think he needed to do that for himself. He needed to let himself know that he’s still got some tread left. He can do this. He’s gonna look to jump back in here and make a run at this, but Jonathan Martinez is a guy you don’t sleep on. He’s gonna let you know real quick if you’ve still got some tread left. I’m excited for this fight. This is a fantastic co-main event.”
Speaking on Martinez’s skill set, Cejudo believes that his greatest weapon against Aldo will be his leg kicks, which earned him second-round knockouts against Cub Swanson and Adrian Yanez.
“Jonathan Martinez has stopped two people back-to-back with leg kicks because he’s a southpaw that’s very dangerous. He loves those leg kicks. He’s 19-4 for crying out loud. If you watched the way he stopped Cub Swanson with his legs… There’s something about this guy being a southpaw and there’s something special about his kicking and having the ability to stop Adrian Yanez and Swanson. He’s one of those guys that really believes in those kicks.
“But will he be able to get away with it with a guy like Jose Aldo — a guy who comes from a fundamental Muay Thai background that has seen everything from kicks, knees, and elbows? When it comes to boxing, I would have to give it to Aldo, but with the kicks involved too, it makes it a little trickier.”
Watch the full episode below:
