Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou involved in crash that killed one woman: ‘I carry their pain’

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident in April in Cameroon in which a woman died. 

Ngannou was reportedly riding the motorcycle that struck a woman, who was injured and later died at a local hospital in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. 

The unidentified woman underwent emergency surgery, according to reports. 

Ngannou took the woman to the hospital and reportedly paid for the medical expenses. 

“I’ve met with (the family) privately to share in their grief, and I will continue to stand with them every step of the way,” Ngannou said in a statement released Friday to TMZ. “I carry their pain with me, and my unwavering thoughts and support remain with them as they face this heartbreaking loss.”

Ngannou was the UFC heavyweight champion from 2015-22, with the company releasing him in 2023 after failed contract negotiations and stripping him of his title.

He fought his last fight for company in January 2022, defeating Ciryl Gane.

He now competes in the heavyweight division for the Professional Fighters League and has won his only fight for the promotion, besting Renan Ferreira via knockout last October.

He holds an 18-3 record and last lost in 2018.

The 38-year-old also tragically lost his son, Kobe, a little more than a year ago, as Ngannou announced in April 2024 that the 15-month-old died. 

“Too soon to leave but yet he’s gone. My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy,” Ngannou wrote on X. “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.”