‘I told myself to stay strong’published at 00:24 British Summer Time 20 October
An emotional Francis Ngannou dedicates his win tonight to his son, Kobe, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
He said to DAZN: “I don’t know. I can’t think about anything [other] than my son Kobe. I only took this fight because of him. I went to fight for him. I hope they can remember his name because without Kobe, we wouldn’t be here tonight. I wouldn’t have fought.”
On training camp: “It was tough, It’s been tough. Not only the training camp was tough but the past two days were very tough. Full of emotion. I couldn’t do anything without thinking about it. I told myself to stay strong and keep moving, but it’s hard.”
On his performance and returning to MMA: “I knew I didn’t miss a step. I wasn’t worried about it because as soon as I walked in the gym I knew everything was still there. It was just me being able to manage my emotions. Deal with life separately, not mix things up. That’s what I have been working on. We’re here and we finally get a result. Thank you to my team, my family and everyone who has been here. Some of them have been away from their family for two months to support me in my crazy dream, which has no limits. Sometimes I don’t even know if my dream has sense. Thank you, guys.”
On taking Ferreira to the ground: “That was an option. I am a mixed martial artist. I am multi-dimensional. That was definitely an option. Since the opportunity was there, I was here to take everything that came my way. Here we are.”
On what comes next: “I think my next move in combat sports all depends on me, how I feel. I always think I have a lot to give and I keep thinking that way.”