Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Chapman was 30 years old.
Bellator bantamweight fighter Isaiah Chapman was shot dead outside of his Akron, Ohio home on Tuesday night. According to an initial report by the Akron Beacon Journal, officers responded to a shots fired call at 9:40 pm, then later “found a 30-year-old man on the street with gunshot wounds.”
MMA Junkie went on to confirm through close sources that the individual named in the report was Chapman, who was eventually pronounced dead at Summa Akron City hospital. The suspect, meanwhile, remains at large.
Bellator matchmaker Rich Chou shared the news via social media.
RIP Isaiah Chapman pic.twitter.com/3oIiqldqVU
— Rich Chou (@rich_chou) April 8, 2020
A relative also confirmed Chapman’s death in a separate tweet.
A few hours ago a member of our family was murdered. Shot multiple times. He didn’t stand a chance.
My heart is breaking.
Isaiah “Monty” Chapman RIP— Roberta Timberlake Jordan (@bertsprize) April 8, 2020
“The Beast” began his career in 2012 under the Ohio-based North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS), then went on to compete in other promotions before making his Bellator debut in October 2019. He lost that Bellator 232 fight against Patchy Mix via first-round submission and dropped to a record of 9-4 (with five wins by stoppage).
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Chapman’s funeral expenses.