There have been four cases of fatalities resulting from injuries sustained in sanctioned MMA bouts, and another 9 that have occurred in unsanctioned bouts. Joao Carvalho, the fighter who died as a result of a bout in Ireland recently, counts as a fatality from an unsanctioned bout, as Ireland only resolved to regulate MMA after his death.
Mixed martial arts is a dangerous sport, not as dangerous as some others, but still quite dangerous. It’s actually amazing to think that so few athletes have died.
While the death toll is still not creeping towards alarming numbers, there have been several close calls. If just one of the names on this list died as a result of their injuries it could have had a drastic impact on the sport as we know it.
Here are 4 cases of fighters who nearly died after an MMA fight…
