Francis Ngannou dived into the ocean of grief after he lost his 15-month-old son. The former UFC heavyweight champion was not alone in his grief. The entire world of combat sports joined the fighter in his mourning. However, the fans have lit up as pictures of a smiling Ngannou circle the internet.

Following the devastating loss of Kobe Ngannou, the fighter’s pain couldn’t be overlooked by the fighting community. But recently, Ngannou joined his friend and colleague, Kamaru Usman, in the graduation ceremony for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters, at the Francis Ngannou Foundation, Batié. The foundation’s IG account released a few photographs of the event, with the caption reading, “Yesterday, at the Francis Ngannou Foundation in Batié, a graduation ceremony for Jiu-Jitsu fighters took place, led by coach @samcrookbjj . The presence of @francisngannou and his friend @usman84kg added a special touch to this event. Congratulations to all the graduates for their hard work and dedication!”

In the pictures released by the foundation’s Instagram account, ‘The Predator’ could be seen smiling in a friendly grapple with one of the students. Without a doubt, it was the mixed martial artist’s smiling face that stole the show. It lightened up the comments section as the fans shared their joy days after shedding tears for the loss of little Kobe. 

Smiling Francis Ngannou lightens the MMA fans while graduating BJJ fighters

As soon as the photos from the graduation ceremony were released on Instagram, the fight fans took over the comments section and revealed their opinions. Most of the fans were simply happy to see the former UFC champion smiling after days of mourning. One of the fans wrote, “Good to see Francis smiling,” while another fan commented, “This smile from Francis is heart warming.” Furthermore, the fans also tried to lift the fighter’s spirits, saying, “Seeing Francis smile is everything , you are a light Champ a one of a kind.”

Needless to say, the fans also commended the students of the Francis Ngannou Foundation. A fan page commented, “Beautiful work everybody” and “Beautiful work”, followed by a red heart emoji. Another fan claimed the pictures to be simply “Beautiful.” A couple of other fans depicted that the event was lit by taking to the comments section and leaving multiple fire emojis. Additionally, one more fan punched in with three thumbs-up emojis to show his support. 

Undeniably, the world went into mourning along with the broken-hearted father. But seeing the former UFC contender overcome his sorrows and jump right back into the action shows that Ngannou is not only a fighter on the canvas but also in real life. What are your thoughts on Ngannou’s joyful persona and strong will? Let us know in the comments down below.