MMA fighter CJ Hancock had a close brush with the afterlife after ‘dying’ in the Octagon.
The American mixed martial arts fighter cheated death after being brought back by CPR and a defibrillator, twice, to make sure he avoided seeing those pearly gates after collapsing due to heart and kidney failure.
Hancock temporarily died after taking a body kick from opponent Charlie Ontiveros during a preliminary bout at a Legacy Fighting Alliance event at the Arena Theatre in Houston, Texas.
According Hancock, the paramedics on scene had to restart his heart twice after Ontiveros landed the finishing blow.
Writing on Facebook, the MMA fighter said:
Well I died tonight in the cage…. I’m okay. Thanks everyone. I’ll reply when I can. My heart stopped, and I had kidney failure , they did cpr and hit me with the defibrillator twice and brought me back.
Hancock is unsure what caused his body to shut down completely, however he suspects it may have something to do with the weight-cut he had to make before his fight. The Brazilian jujitsu specialist weighed in at 216lb (15 stone) before the fight, however he dropped down to 168lb (12 stone) in order to compete at welterweight, reports the Guardian.
In press statement, Ed Soares, CEO of the Legacy Fighting Alliance said:
After the kick landed, there was a few second delay, and then he collapsed in the cage.
Our cutman David Maldonado immediately recognised the problem and signalled to the medical team sitting cageside.
They were able to resuscitate and stabilise CJ and took him to the hospital via ambulance where they determined he had suffered kidney failure.
Hancock’s Facebook post went on to say:
Doc says I shouldn’t fight again…. I’m broken , I guess I’ll just be a coach from now on…. I still plan on competing in Brazilian Jiu jitsu and BJJ superfights , when I get better. Thanks to everyone that supported me!
He gave a further update on his condition, after being discharged from hospital, saying ‘After 8 bags of saline I’m back up to 206’. However has admitted that he’s still ‘Feeling a little sick and out of it from the medications’.
Making the weight to compete, whether it’s bulking up or losing, can be just as important as training and preparation for an actual fight. In some cases fighters will go to extreme – and oft times bizarre – lengths just to be eligible for the weigh-in.
October saw MMA fighter Daniel Lima literally helped to the weigh-in scales 24 hours before his fight in Japan cutting a very concerning figure.
In the end his struggle to make the weight requirements cost him his seven-fight winning streak.
In one of the more bizarre weigh-ins UFC’s Daniel Cormier was able to lose 1.2lbs in just two minutes after initially coming up heavy when he first step on the scales before his fight at UFC 210.
