Rest in peace Douglas Dedge, Lee, Sam Vasquez, Michael Kirkham, Mike Mittelmeier, Dustin Jenson, Tyrone Mims, Felix Elochukwu Nchikwo, BootoGuylain.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Congolese fighter BootoGuylain has passed away after sustaining serious injuries in a TKO loss at EFC Africa 27.
The promotion has released a full statement:
Democratic Republic of the Congo born Booto Guylain, the veteran of two MMA bouts in the EFC AFRICA Hexagon, passed away late this afternoon due to injuries sustained in his bout on February 27.
Guylain suffered a serious head injury during his Mixed Martial Arts bout at EFC AFRICA 27 last Thursday. Immediately after the bout he was stabilized by the on-site medical team and transported to hospital where he was treated for swelling and bleeding on the brain.
Guylain received care from one of South Africa’s top neuro-surgical teams but tragically passed away today.
“We are devastated,” said EFC AFRICA president Cairo Howarth. “This is a huge loss to the sport and to all who know him. Our thoughts are with his family in this trying time.”
Fatal injuries are extremely rare in the sport of MMA due to the emphasis on safety. Unfortunately, head trauma is sometimes a reality and very rarely fatalities can occur.
ONEPLAN, EFC AFRICA’s disability partner since October 2013, will be providing financial support to Guylain’s family.
We are very grateful that ONEPLAN is here in this difficult time, and we thank them for their support, said Howarth.
Guylain was 29 years old. He is survived by his wife and son. All athletes competing at EFC AFRICA 28, on March 27, will wear black armbands in his honor and memory.
South African MMA and fitness site PrettyTuff.co.za reports that some in the crowd felt the fight with Keron Davies was stopped late. The bout was not a mismatch – it was the second fight for both, and went well into the third round. Guylain was a black belt in Judo, originally from Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“This fight almost went the full distance and was an all out battle,” wrote a live account from lwmag.co.za. “Davies fought well and landed big hits rocking Guylain. Guylain defended well and landed his fare share of strikes as well. In round 3 Davies got the takedown, got himself into full mount and landed heavy elbow Ground and Pound. Ref called the fight with Davies taking the win by TKO.”
A source told Pretty Tuff that Guylain’s treatment at a government hospital was delayed.
Time is of the essence when treating head injuries, but because he does not have medical aid and the long process involved in admitting a patient into a busy government facility in South Africa it took longer that is ideal to get him the treatment needed.
The sport mourns the passing of a brother.
Image gallery courtesy of facebook.
The tragedy has to be viewed with the larger context of death in sports.
Seven athletes have died from injuries sustained while competing in the Olympics – one runner, one cyclist, a boxer, one speed skater, one downhill skier, and two lugers.
Boxing has recorded nearly 1,500 deaths since its inception in the 1700s.
Auto racing has killed countess drivers, and spectators are not immune. A single accident in 1955 killed approximately 60 spectators, and the driver.
28 people are believed to have died running, in marathons alone, in the USA alone, just from 2000-2009.
In 2005, four runners died, in a single event, the Great North Run half marathon in the UK.
Cheerleading in the USA killed 42 between the fall of 1982 and the spring of 2007.
Mixed martial arts is not immune. Below is a list of the nine people believed to have died from injuries sustained during MMA competitions from 1993 to the present.
Douglas Dedge • March 16, 1998 • Kiev, Ukraine • Unregulated • Chief emergency room doctor attributed death to “severe brain injuries.” • First MMA death in the modern era. • Dedge is reported to have passed out in training previous to the fight, and is believed to have had a preexisting medical condition.
Korean identified only as Lee • May 12, 2005 • Samsong-dong, South Korea • Entirely unregulated bout took place in a bar. • Cause of death was heart attack.
Sam Vasquez • October 20, 2007 • Houston Texas • Cause of death was subdural hemorrhage due to blunt trauma of the head, following a KO loss in the third round • First death in a sanctioned MMA event.
Michael Kirkham • June 26, 2010 • Aiken, South Carolina • Regulated bout • Cause of death was subarachnoid hemorrhage of the brain • Kirkham lost his previous fight on April 24 by TKO; Dr. Joe Estwanik believes “this could have been second-impact syndrome.”
Mike Mittelmeier • April 27, 2012 • Bolivia • Unregulated bout allowing face kicks to grounded opponent; there was no ambulance standing by. • Mittlemeier got kicked in the head while attempting a leg lock, illegal under the Unified Rules. • Cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage.
Dustin Jenson • May 24, 2012 • Rapid City, South Dakota • Unregulated bout • Jenson tapped without appearing to take any severe blows. • Cause of death was subdural hemorrhage resulting from blunt force trauma to the head.
Tyrone Mims • August 11, 2012 • Mount Pleasant, South Carolina • Regulated bout • Autopsy results were inconclusive, with no evidence of a concussion or brain trauma detected, no drugs or alcohol detected by toxicology tests. “(Mims) might have had an irregular heart because of some electrical dysfunction,” said Coroner Rae Wooten. “That obviously isn’t seen after death. Once that’s completed, there’s no evidence of that…. There’s just nothing here that explains his death.”
Felix Elochukwu Nchikwo, fought under the name Felix Pablo Elochukwu • April 7th, 2013 • Port Huron, Michigan • Unregulated bout • According to the Michigan coroner’s office, there is “no evidence” that the fighter died from trauma he sustained during an unregulated mixed martial arts match.
Booto Guylain •24 June 1984 – 5 March 2014 • Johannesburg, South Africa • Unregulated bout • Autopsy pending.
There are going to be more deaths in mixed martial arts.
MMA competition can, like countless other sports, lead to fatality. As such, safety precautions must be adhered to rigorously. Promoters cannot be counted on to take standard precautions like blood tests, pre-fight physicals, a ringside doctor, and ambulance standing by. Fighters and trainers in the USA and Canada have a responsibility to avoid unregulated MMA bouts, and States must make regulation or sanctioning mandatory, most notably for amateur fighters, who are easily exploited. Bouts taking placeinternationally should adhere to the best practices, including but by no means limited to to have an MD cage side, and an ambulance on site.
