UFC and boxing superstar Francis Ngannou 'involved in fatal motorcycle crash with a 17-year-old in Cameroon'
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- Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was 'involved in fatal accident'
- Woman died despite his efforts to save her, according to reports in Cameroon
- Ngannou is said to be 'devastated' and has 'paid all the medical expenses'
Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou has allegedly 'been involved in a fatal motorbike accident in Cameroon'.
Ngannou, 38, was riding the motorcycle when he 'was in a collision with a 17-year-old girl' in the Omnisports district of Yaounde, according to Camer.be, Lebledparle and ActuCameroun, three publications in the country.
While the exact circumstances of the crash remain unknown, it is reported that she suffered severe injuries to her arm and leg and Ngannou rushed her to hospital himself before she died at Yaounde General Hospital.
The victim has been named by local press as Ntsama Brigitte Manuella and Ngannou is said to be 'devastated'.
He 'paid her medical expenses' and the Cameroonian authorities will now investigate the tragic crash, that occurred over Easter weekend.
Mail Sport have contacted Ngannou's representatives for comment. Fight sport sources say he has been unreachable for a number of days.
The story was first reported by Cameroon-Online and there were conflicting accounts, with one claiming Ngannou was in a vehicle that struck the victim on a motorbike and another stating she was a pedestrian and he was riding the bike at the time.
Ngannou posted a selection of photos of himself on a motorbike a month ago and it appeared to be an off-road vehicle out in the Cameroonian countryside but it is not known whether the same bike was in the fatal crash.
It is a somber and tragic update in what has already been a horrendous couple of years for the MMA star-turned boxer.
Last April it was announced that his 15-month-old son, Kobe, died suddenly.
During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Ngannou detailed the medical emergency that led to his son’s death.
He said: 'Kobe had some malformation on his brain, which is something that we didn’t know.
'He passed out twice. The first time was in Cameroon, we took him to the hospital. They didn’t find anything. The second time was in [Saudi Arabia], we took him to the hospital. They ran a lot of exams, they didn’t do anything. They did the EEG, they didn’t do the [CAT] scan or MRI, because according to them, their conclusion was that he had a swollen lung. That is what was pressing his chest and stopping him from breathing and it created that thing.
'After all those exams, they gave him some medicine, that he’s going to be OK. Nothing to worry about. Because at first, they even thought about asthma. They gave, like, a ventilator, and then afterward, after some research they took it out. It [made me] confident.'
He then left Cameroon to travel to Dubai for a training camp.
Ngannou added: 'I tried to call, I wanted to talk to him and I was on the bike. I called his mom and his mom didn’t pick up the phone. I’m like, "After I’m done, I’m going to go take my shower, lay in bed and call him." Thirty minutes after, I was on the leg machine, my phone rang and it was my little brother.
'He said, "Bro, things are not going well here.’ I’m like, "What is it?" [He said,] "Kobe, he passed out, he’s not breathing, we are at the hospital, they kicked me out from the room." I’m like, "What’s happening?"
’As we are talking, he’s also trying to get information, so I lost him for like three or four minutes.”
He called back and overheard the nurse telling his brother that Kobe had died.
'[She said,] "Well, he’s gone." Just like that. He’s gone,' Ngannou said. 'What do you mean he’s gone? How come he’s gone? This kid was 15 months [old], he was bigger than 15 months. He was growing. He was the most joyful, happy kid around. What do you mean he’s gone? Gone where? That was it.'
Ngannou last fought in October last year, knocking out Renan Ferreira to win the PFL heavyweight title on his return to MMA.
He had transitioned to boxing after leaving the UFC as a free agent, losing to both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in high-profile bouts in Saudi Arabia.
