Every time a fighter steps into a ring, or in the case of MMA, the octagon, there is an inherent risk that they understand in doing so. These guys literally put their lives on the line, and tragically, as was witnessed on Monday night, sometimes those risks become very, very real.
Portuguese MMA fighter João Carvalho passed away late Monday evening, two days after suffering a third round TKO in his Saturday night bout against Irishman Charlie Ward. The duo fought in Dublin, Ireland, under the Total Extreme Fighting promotion, and following the fight, TEF’s doctors determined that the injuries Carvalho sustained were grave enough to warrant further medical attention at a nearby hospital.
Unfortunately, in the process of being attended to, Carvhalho’s condition took a turn for the worse, something that was extensively outlined in the official statement released by Total Extreme Fighting.
Among other things, it notes:
“The doctors checked him between each round and each time he gave a full response to them. He responded to each question. He was asked where he was, what round he was going in to and what day of the week it was, and all of his answers were perfect.”
“When the referee stopped the fight in the third round, our team of doctors and medics looked after him as he was bleeding quite heavily from his nose. He was asked if he felt any pain or was suffering with any headaches directly after the fight, and he said he had no pain or headaches, but he did feel quite tired.”
“Ten minutes later he started complaining that he was suffering from headaches. He felt a lot of nausea and he began to vomit. Five minutes later he was significantly worse so we got him into the ambulance and rang the hospital to let them know he was coming.”
João was rushed to the hospital for a CT scan, and tragically, his condition never did improve.
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor, who is teammates with Carvalho’s Saturday night opponent, Charlie Ward, posted a heartbreaking note to his Facebook about the downside of the sport, which no one wants to think about until tragedy strikes.
The Notorious’ moving note reads:
Terrible news regarding Joao Carvalho.
To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to have it taken away is truly heartbreaking.
We are just men and women doing something we love in the hope of a better life for ourselves and our families. Nobody involved in combat sports of any kind wants to see this. It is such a rare occurrence that I don’t know how to take this.
I was ringside supporting my teammate, and the fight was so back and forth, that I just can’t understand it.
My condolences go out to Joao’s family and his team. Their man was a hell of a fighter and will be sorely missed by all.
Combat sport is a crazy game and with the recent incident in boxing and now this in MMA, it is a sad time to be a fighter and a fight fan.
It is easy for those on the outside to criticise our way of living, but for the millions of people around the world who have had their lives, their health, their fitness and their mental strength all changed for the better through combat, this is truly a bitter pill to swallow. We have lost one of us.
I hope we remember Joao as a champion, who pursued his dream doing what he loved, and show him the eternal respect and admiration he deserves.
Rest in peace, Joao.
Our thoughts and prayers are with João Carvalho’s family in this difficult, tragic time. He was only 28.
If you feel compelled to see the end of the fight, and read up more on how João Carvalho’s condition deteriorated post-fight, you can head over to Deadspin.