Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
The UFC lightweight champion shared a very personal message following the death of a fellow Russian combat sports athlete.
Last weekend, up and coming boxer Maxim Dadashev collapsed outside the ring following a brutal war with Subriel Matias that saw his trainer wave off the fight in the 11th round. Unfortunately the damage was already done. Dadashev was rushed to the hospital where surgeons removed a chunk of his skull to relieve pressure on his swollen brain.
Dadashev was left in a medically induced coma and never awoke. He was pronounced dead on July 23rd.
It was a sobering moment for combat sports fans and athletes. Fellow Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov took the incident particularly hard, putting up a statement on social media where he discussed the conflict he felt inflicting such damage on his fellow humans.
“This case once again proves that sport is not the most important thing,” he wrote in Russian (translated by Google Translate). “There are things that are much more important. Every time I see or hear such news, I begin to hate this sport in which we beat each other. Everything is temporary: fame, money, titles, and our whole life, we all leave this world, no one will remain. It is worth thinking.”
“Patience to all relatives and friends of Maxim,” Khabib concluded. “Do good and may the Most High reward us for our deeds and deeds in the next life, and forgive us our sins.”
Boxing has proven much more deadly than MMA, with many pointing to the larger gloves and longer bouts leading to much more head trauma. Dadashev isn’t even the latest to die … another tragedy has already occurred with former South American WBC super-featherweight champion Hugo Santillan dying earlier today after collapsing in the ring on Saturday. The 28 year old underwent surgery for bleeding of the brain but like Dadashev never recovered.