Tag: Dustin Jenson

Autopsy Shows Amateur Fighter Dustin Jenson Died of Unrelated Blunt Force Trauma


Jenson, pictured on the right (black shorts), died of a seizure after competing in an unregulated MMA event.

On May 18th, twenty-six year old Sturgis, South Dakota native Dustin Jenson competed in an unregulated Ring Wars event in South Dakota. Although Jenson was quickly submitted by a triangle choke by Hayden Hensrud, he took no significant blows to the head and remained conscious after he tapped out. However, shortly after the fight Dustin was found by another fighter having a seizure. He was rushed to Rapid City Regional Hospital, where he would eventually die on May 24th.

An autopsy has revealed that blunt force trauma suffered the week before his fight is the official cause of Dustin Jenson’s untimely demise. As The Rapid City Journal reports:

The autopsy indicated the cause of death was a subdural hemorrhage resulting from blunt force trauma to the head. A subdural hemorrhage is a collection of blood on the surface of the brain and often causes brain injury and death.

The cause was related to an injury about a week earlier, according to the autopsy. The Sheriff’s Office said there is no conclusive evidence the injury was sustained in the fight.


Jenson, pictured on the right (black shorts), died of a seizure after competing in an unregulated MMA event.

On May 18th, twenty-six year old Sturgis, South Dakota native Dustin Jenson competed in an unregulated Ring Wars event in South Dakota. Although Jenson was quickly submitted by a triangle choke by Hayden Hensrud, he took no significant blows to the head and remained conscious after he tapped out. However, shortly after the fight Dustin was found by another fighter having a seizure. He was rushed to Rapid City Regional Hospital, where he would eventually die on May 24th.

An autopsy has revealed that blunt force trauma suffered the week before his fight is the official cause of Dustin Jenson’s untimely demise. As The Rapid City Journal reports:

The autopsy indicated the cause of death was a subdural hemorrhage resulting from blunt force trauma to the head. A subdural hemorrhage is a collection of blood on the surface of the brain and often causes brain injury and death.

The cause was related to an injury about a week earlier, according to the autopsy. The Sheriff’s Office said there is no conclusive evidence the injury was sustained in the fight.

Jenson, a husband and father, was participating in only his fifth fight since taking up the sport less than a year ago.

This is a tragic twist that confirms what most of us had already feared: That regulation of Mixed Martial Arts competition in South Dakota – requiring basic medical screenings such as blood tests to make sure unhealthy fighters aren’t competing – could have easily prevented Dustin Jenson’s death. But perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this article is the final paragraph:

South Dakota has no governing body overseeing boxing or MMA. Dean Schrempp, a state legislator representing Corson, Dewey and Ziebach counties, has advocated for a governing body and said Jenson would still be alive had there been one in place.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard disagrees, saying a commission would lead to more fights and therefore more injuries and deaths.

Obviously, Governor Daugaard’s opinion is completely backwards; The South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team does not see players die every week because there is a commission overseeing the sport making sure that individuals who aren’t healthy enough to play aren’t needlessly risking their lives. But as long as people like Daugaard are in power, little will change in South Dakota.

If you live in South Dakota, please write to your local representatives urging them to create a commission to oversee MMA. What would truly be a shame is if we learn absolutely nothing from this incident. Fighters, like all athletes from full-contact sports, are risking their health every time they compete. There’s no need to add even more risks on top of it, especially when they could easily be prevented.

If you’d like to send a donation to Dustin’s family, please go here.

MMA: Inside the Cage #97 — Must-See Powerbomb Knockout, XFC 18 Preview, and Learning From Dustin Jenson’s Death

(Props: MMAInsidetheCageTV)

MMA: Inside the Cage’s latest episode runs down all the latest talking points in MMA, from the potential Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg superfight to the death of DREAM, and examines the tragic death of amateur fighter Dustin Jenson in South Dakota. Hosts Casey Oxendine and Cyrus Fees get a professional opinion from fight doctor Nathan Elliott, who explains the importance of pre-fight physicals and the potential danger from “second impact syndrome,” which could have put Jensen’s health in danger considering how frequently he was competing.

But hey, you didn’t come here to get bummed out, right? Brighten your day by checking out the Hit Parade segment that starts at 4:44, which features a powerbomb-KO that will join Rampage vs. Arona and Kaufman vs. Modafferi in the powerbomb-KO Hall of Fame. Plus, Casey gives advice on how to prevent injuries in training, a preview of XFC 18 (June 22nd, Nashville), and a classic scrap between Scott Holtzman and Brandon Demastes. Enjoy, and follow the MMA:ITC guys on Facebook and Twitter.


(Props: MMAInsidetheCageTV)

MMA: Inside the Cage’s latest episode runs down all the latest talking points in MMA, from the potential Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg superfight to the death of DREAM, and examines the tragic death of amateur fighter Dustin Jenson in South Dakota. Hosts Casey Oxendine and Cyrus Fees get a professional opinion from fight doctor Nathan Elliott, who explains the importance of pre-fight physicals and the potential danger from “second impact syndrome,” which could have put Jensen’s health in danger considering how frequently he was competing.

But hey, you didn’t come here to get bummed out, right? Brighten your day by checking out the Hit Parade segment that starts at 4:44, which features a powerbomb-KO that will join Rampage vs. Arona and Kaufman vs. Modafferi in the powerbomb-KO Hall of Fame. Plus, Casey gives advice on how to prevent injuries in training, a preview of XFC 18 (June 22nd, Nashville), and a classic scrap between Scott Holtzman and Brandon Demastes. Enjoy, and follow the MMA:ITC guys on Facebook and Twitter.

Amateur Fighter Dustin Jenson Dies Following Unregulated MMA Event in South Dakota


(Dustin Jenson, shown with his daughter Amora and wife Rebecca. Photo courtesy of his family’s GoFundMe page.)

A 26-year-old amateur MMA fighter named Dustin Jenson died last Thursday, after suffering a seizure following a triangle-choke loss to Hayden Hensrud at a Ring Wars event, May 18th in Rapid City, South Dakota. Jenson was participating in his fifth fight, and had begun competing in the sport less than a year ago. Funeral services were scheduled today at First Wesleyan Church in Sturgis. Rapid City Journal has more details:

Dustin Jenson, 26, was participating in full-contact fights at a RingWars event May 18 when he tapped out — a signal to end the fight. According to his mother-in-law, Violet Schieman, Jensen then watched the next two fights before going to the locker room area, where he suffered a seizure.

“He laid down to do his stretches, and another fighter heard a moan,” Schieman said. “He went over and saw Dustin having a seizure. They called an EMT, which took him to Rapid City Regional Hospital.”

Schieman said medical personnel determined that Jenson had increased pressure on his brain and put him in a medically induced coma before surgery was performed to relieve pressure. He was declared dead May 24 and was taken off life support the next day, Schieman said.

“He did not wake up after the surgery and was declared brain dead at 10:23 a.m.,” she said. “He remained on life support until his organs were donated.”


(Dustin Jenson, shown with his daughter Amora and wife Rebecca. Photo courtesy of his family’s GoFundMe page.)

A 26-year-old amateur MMA fighter named Dustin Jenson died last Thursday, after suffering a seizure following a triangle-choke loss to Hayden Hensrud at a Ring Wars event, May 18th in Rapid City, South Dakota. Jenson was participating in his fifth fight, and had begun competing in the sport less than a year ago. Funeral services were scheduled today at First Wesleyan Church in Sturgis. Rapid City Journal has more details:

Dustin Jenson, 26, was participating in full-contact fights at a RingWars event May 18 when he tapped out — a signal to end the fight. According to his mother-in-law, Violet Schieman, Jensen then watched the next two fights before going to the locker room area, where he suffered a seizure.

“He laid down to do his stretches, and another fighter heard a moan,” Schieman said. “He went over and saw Dustin having a seizure. They called an EMT, which took him to Rapid City Regional Hospital.”

Schieman said medical personnel determined that Jenson had increased pressure on his brain and put him in a medically induced coma before surgery was performed to relieve pressure. He was declared dead May 24 and was taken off life support the next day, Schieman said.

“He did not wake up after the surgery and was declared brain dead at 10:23 a.m.,” she said. “He remained on life support until his organs were donated.”

…

Schieman, who was not at the fight, said her daughter, Jenson’s wife Rebecca Jenson, and several others told her the violence in the fight was “nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Doctors have watched the video and said it shouldn’t have happened,” Schieman said. “They said the fight may have triggered a brain aneurysm, but it was not overly violent.”

Civic center general manager Brian Maliske said Tuesday that he knew that one of the fighters had become ill after tapping out of his fight, but that was the extent of his knowledge of what happened.

Maliske said he was unsure how or if the death would affect the scheduling of future MMA events at the civic center.

“Obviously, if it is connected to the injury here, then we will have to look at and see how it would affect us and what we want to do into the future,” he said…

Maliske said the event was promoted by Matt DeWolfe, who did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment. RingWars formerly was a regular event at the civic center but has become less frequent in recent years.

“Matt used to be here on a monthly basis several years ago, and right now, he does approximately one to two RingWars events here a year,” Maliske said. “This is the first time he has been in in nine or 10 months. The sport itself is not as popular as it used to be.”

South Dakota has no governing body to oversee or regulate the sport, unlike other states, according to Josh Usera, the lead MMA trainer at Dynamic Martial Arts in Rapid City.

“In most states there is usually some kind of governing body, like the athletic commission or the boxing commission for that state, and what I understand is its job is to oversee the operations of the event from the ground all the way up,” said Usera, who has trained MMA fighters. “Safety of the fighter is the No. 1 concern, so most states that have some kind of governing body require some kind of blood work or something that shows the individual is healthy.”

Jenson is the third fighter to die following MMA competition in the United States, after Sam Vasquez and Michael Kirkham. It’s hard to say if regulation would have made a difference in this particular case, but observations like Usera’s are important — at the very least, regulation should be in place for basic medical screening including blood tests, and to make sure unhealthy fighters aren’t competing when their lives could be at risk.

The sport’s political opponents in South Dakota will probably seize on this story as proof that their opinion of MMA was right all along. In reality, incidents like this are the strongest arguments for regulation that we have. R.I.P., Dustin. If you’d like to send a donation to his family, go here.