In April, the former UFC heavyweight champion was inundated with supportive messages from the MMA community after announcing the death of his 15-month son, Kobe, on social media.

Ngannou is mourning the loss of his 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 sonCredit: Getty

Some people thought that the devastating family tragedy would keep Ngannou sidelined for the rest of the year, while others speculated about him potentially retiring.

The 37-year-old admits walking away from fighting on the back of boxing losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua was something he contemplated after Kobe passed away.

Francis Ngannou says he will be fighting for his son on October 19.

Ultimately, he agreed to make his PFL debut against 6ft 8in knockout artist Renan Ferreira, who earned the fight by stopping Ryan Bader in 21 seconds earlier this year.

“This is not a great moment for me,” Ngannou told Sky Sports.

“I need some activities. I need to stay active to be in a zone that I belong to. I also need to keep it going, to fight for my boy, for Kobe.

“The past few months hasn’t been the easiest. I think it has been by far my hardest [moment] in life. I lost my son. For some time, I felt like I didn’t even have to do this or questioning about if I should do it or fight again.

“But I want to do something good in his memory. Not to be the reason for me to quit but to be motivation and also to fight for him.”

Ngannou, who hasn’t fought in MMA since defending his UFC belt against Ciryl Gane in January 2022, is confident he can brush off any ring rust and deliver a performance to make his son proud.

He added: “I think now I have different motivation in my son.

“I used to fight for a lot of reasons, but I don’t think I’ve had the biggest reason, the biggest purpose to fight as for now.”

Ferreira is set to welcome Ngannou back to MMACredit: Getty

Fans are worried he could be on the end of a brutal KOCredit: getty

“I’ve been doing mixed martial arts for over 10 years, so yes it’s home. It’s where I’m more comfortable. Where I’m used to, where I understand the most

“Rankings are made by people and yes the sport is moving. I’m not the one to judge, but yeah, I think this fight could set as a reminder of who I am.”

Ngannou is probably the biggest puncher in MMA and fans are worried he could do serious damage after learning of his comeback motivation.

One person tweeted: “Renan is in trouble.”

Another said: “KO incoming.”

Someone else commented: “Whoever he fights next is absolutely f***ed.”

A fourth person predicted: “Francis by the most furious KO we’ve ever seen him throw.”

The co-main event for Ngannou vs Ferreira will feature one of the greatest female fighters of all time, Cris Cyborg, who takes on PFL two-division champion Larissa Pacheco in a featherweight super fight.

MMA fans won’t want to miss this event as more big fights are expected to join the card soon.