Francis Ngannou's 15-month-old son Kobe dies just weeks after his Saudi megafight with Anthony Joshua... as UFC champion-turned boxer shares heartbreaking post on social media

Francis Ngannou's 15-month-old son Kobe has tragically died.

Cameroon outlet 237online.com first reported the devastating news and the former UFC champion-turned boxer confirmed this with a heartbreaking social media post.

Posting on Instagram, Ngannou said: 'Too soon to leave but yet he's gone. My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he's laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he's not responding.

'I was my best self next to him and now I have no clue of who I am. Life is so unfair to hit us where it hurts the most.

'How do you deal with such a thing? How can you live with it? Please help me if you have an idea because I really don't know what to do and how to deal with this.'

The 15-month-old son of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou has tragically passed away 

Ngannou confirmed the news in a heartbreaking post on his Instagram account on Monday

Ngannou had previously shared another devastating post on his X account

Reports from Cameroonian outlet 237online.com were later confirmed by the 37-year-old

Ngannou's Instagram post came after he had shared a heartbreaking message on X earlier on Monday evening.

He had said: 'What's the purpose of life if what we're fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!? 

'Why is life so unfair and merciless? Why does life always take what we don't have? I'm f***ing tired.'

Several fans and fellow fighters were quick to send their well-wishes and condolences to the Cameroonian, including Conor McGregor.

The Irishman - who has four children - replied to Ngannou's post and said: 'I am so sorry to hear of your loss Francis, my prayers are with you and your family at this time.'

Ngannou's coach, Eric Nicksick, added: 'It’s been a heavy few days, words can’t express the pain we all feel for the Ngannou family during this time. 

'Please keep Francis and his family in your heart, and may this be a reminder of the fragility of life. Say “I love you,” more often, tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.'

The circumstances surrounding the death of Ngannou's son are unknown at this time. 

Ngannou remains extremely close to his roots and regularly returns to Batie, where he grew up

The former UFC champion is also extremely close to his mother (pictured with her in May 2021)

Ngannou, who grew up in Batie, Cameroon, where he was raised by a single mother, similarly received huge support from those in his homeland, with the former UFC champion remaining extremely close to his roots.

This includes his mother, who regularly appears in his social media posts.

Ngannou has endured an inspirational journey to the top after he was forced to walk six miles to go to school every day and was digging sand mines when he was just 10 years old.

As he got older he made the journey from Cameroon to the north of the continent - travelling through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria before reaching Morocco.

Ngannou eventually settled in Paris, where he met the trainer Fernand Lopez, who would convince him to take up MMA instead of boxing.

Reflecting on his fighting journey last year, he said: 'For me I just started in MMA for fun. I had time to train so I thought why not train MMA as well.

'And then things went very fast and they start asking did I want to fight. And I said "Yes let's do it".

'I didn't realise how fast it was going until the coach said to me "We've got a UFC contract for you''.'

After winning five of his opening six mixed martial arts bouts, Ngannou penned his first UFC contract and quickly set about making an impact in the promotion.

Conor McGregor was among the first people to send their condolences to the Cameroonian

Fellow MMA star McGregor (right) is a father of four himself and sent his prayers to Ngannou

Ngannou has enjoyed an inspirational rise to the top after growing up in poverty in Cameroon

Six successive wins where he showcased his punching power earned him a heavyweight title shot against Stipe Miocic, but he suffered a blowout loss in 2018.

He rebuilt from the defeat by beating Miocic and Derrick Lewis in brutal fashion, with a series of knockout wins. The Predator won three of his next four fights in under a minute, including a victory after just 20 seconds against Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 2020.

The 37-year-old took the decision to leave the UFC in 2022 after defending his title against Ciryl Gane.

His UFC career ended with a record of 17 wins and three losses, including 12 knockouts.

After quitting the promotion, Ngannou signed with the Professional Fighter's League (PFL), and he has since dipped his toes into the boxing world.

Ngannou has fought British heavyweight duo Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, suffering a narrow defeat to the Gypsy King, before the Cameroonian lost heavily to AJ.

In his March bout against Joshua, which reportedly earned Ngannou around £15m, the Cameroonian was knocked out in the second round following a devastating blow as he struggled to back up his previous performance in the ring. 

Speaking after the defeat, Ngannou had said: 'Sorry guys I let you all down. Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for the love.'

Despite that defeat, Ngannou remains a hugely popular and marketable athlete, particularly since his move to the PFL.

Reports claimed a key reason for the Cameroonian originally signing with PFL was to do with endorsements after he previously he hit out at the 'lack of freedom' for fighters within UFC.

He made his boxing debut against Tyson Fury last year and lost despite an impressive display 

Ngannou was then knocked out in the second round when he took on Anthony Joshua in March

Taking to X in 2022, he had said: 'Fighters are ripped off with sponsorship. It’s a huge source of revenue for us but the company keeps exploiting that for their own benefit.

'I understand that the sport needs to look good with uniforms but we should at least have a right for a minimum of two approved sponsors for in the octagon.'

Along with PFL, Ngannou is reported to now have deals with Gymshark, Phya, CBD Research Labs, Cryo Pain Relief and The Fight Game.

Ngannou was scheduled to make his PFL debut against reigning champion Renan Ferreira this summer, although that is now uncertain following the tragic news.