Francis Ngannou opens up on the tragic death of his 15-month-old son during emotional interview - as ex-UFC champion reveals how it 'broke' him and left him with 'nothing'

Francis Ngannou has opened up on the tragic passing of his 15-month-old son during an emotional interview with Joe Rogan. 

The former UFC star-turned boxer took to social media back in April to reveal the tragic loss of his son Kobe.

The cause of death remained unknown until the heavyweight's recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he claimed it was due to a malformation of the brain. 

Ngannou said that doctors at the time concluded that Kobe suffered from a swollen lung and that they prescribed medication for that, which lead to him putting his 'guard down'.

However, shortly after when Ngannou was in Dubai, he was informed of his son's death via a phone call with his younger brother. 

He said: 'My phone rang; it was my little brother, saying, 'Bro, things are not going well here'. He said Kobe passed out. He's not breathing, we are at the hospital, they kicked me out from the room.' 

Ngannou claims that as he attempted to find out more information from his brother, a nurse came out and told his younger sibling that Kobe 'had gone'.

The former UFC heavyweight champion went on to describe the impact that his son's death had on him and admitted it left him with 'nothing'. 

'In your heart, you feel like you're broke. You have nothing. Nothing is worth it,' he explained. 

'I've always loved life and know that I have everything but I'm [thinking] like, at least whenever I die, I can go see my kid. I'm going to see him. I'm not afraid of it'.

Back in April, Ngannou's heartbreaking announcement on Instagram revealed the loss of his son, where he 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 clude (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.'

Following the loss of Kobe, the likes of Anthony Joshua and Conor McGregor paid tribute to Ngannou. 

Joshua, Ngannou's most recent opponent, commented on the Cameroonian's Instagram post by saying; 'May the memories you shared bring you comfort.'

While UFC star McGregor, who trained with Ngannou, wrote; 'Absolutely gutted reading this Francis! I can only imagine the pain you are in right now I am so sorry hearing this news.

'I pray God has the best and safest place in heaven for him, until you meet again.'

There were also tributes by others within the boxing world, including Manny Pacquiao, Cain Velasquez and Tony Bellew.