Tag: MMA fighter

Young MMA Fighter Pierre Ludet, Found Dead In His Apartment

22-year-old French MMA fighter Pierre Ludet committed suicide weeks before his 23rd birthday and next bout.

Pierre was found in his apartment on Sunday with a fatal gunshot wound from his service weapon. He was an outstanding mixed martial artist …

Pierre Ludet

22-year-old French MMA fighter Pierre Ludet committed suicide weeks before his 23rd birthday and next bout.

Pierre was found in his apartment on Sunday with a fatal gunshot wound from his service weapon. He was an outstanding mixed martial artist and member of the French national police force.

The unsuspected suicide is 1 of 9 in the national police force since January 1.

Ludet followed in his father’s footsteps and became a police officer, then followed his dream of being a mixed martial artist. His future was bright in the MMA world. Ludet had only one loss in his amateur and professional career combined. And most of his wins are by submission and TKO/KO.

Pierre Ludet
Pierre Ludet, Photo Credit: L’EST REPUBLICAN

The 6-1 MMA fighter was set to fight again after his last win in 2019 this February 26 against Antoine Hidrio at Hexagone MMA 3 in Reims, France–nine days before his birthday. February would have been a celebratory month for the impressive young man.

Suicide Affects Everyone

We expect MMA fighters to be tough inside and outside of the ring.

Multiple hits to the face and body may improve a fighter’s physical toughness, but it does not make them any different than civilians who fight their own inner battles.

Tyson Fury, Cody Garbrandt, and Ronda Rousey
Tyson Fury(top), Cody Garbrandt(bottom), Ronda Rousey(right); Photo Credit: Getty Images / UFC

For instance, boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. He opened up to Joe Rogan on “The Joe Rogan Experience” in 2018 about his suicidal attempt. The 6 foot 9 “Gypsy King” experienced depression and was in a low place, but has since received mental health treatment.

After her defeat against Holly Holm, Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey contemplated suicide and spoke of it on the Ellen Degeneres Show.

Cody “No Love” Garbrandt says his brother saved him from his suicide attempt as a teenager.

It is heartbreaking to say the list of suffering fighters does not stop there. And, unfortunately, not everyone survives or gets the help they need. Like Pierre Ludet, Manas Erkul Uulu, the grappling sensation from Kyrgyzstan, lost his life to suicide this month.

Manas Erkul Uulu
Manas Erkul Uulu

It does not matter if you are winning or losing, suicide can affect everyone.

Suicide awareness is the beginning of suicide prevention. Some or all of us know someone who is going through a crisis.

Please, if you or someone you know is suffering, do not hesitate to get help: USA: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 // Canada: Crisis Services Canada: Call 1 833 456 4566 or text 45645 // UK and Ireland: Samaritans: Call 116 123 (UK) or 116 123 (ROI) or email [email protected]/[email protected] // Australia: Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14 // Rest of the world

Continue Reading Young MMA Fighter Pierre Ludet, Found Dead In His Apartment at MMA News.

MMA Fighter Maiquel Falcao Stabbed To Death In Brazil

Former Bellator title challenger Maiquel Falcao has died after an alleged stabbing in his hometown of Pelotas, BR.

Brazilian news outlet Gaucha ZH was the first to report the news of Falcao’s death.

According to reports, Falcao was standing out…

Maiquel Falcao

Former Bellator title challenger Maiquel Falcao has died after an alleged stabbing in his hometown of Pelotas, BR.

Brazilian news outlet Gaucha ZH was the first to report the news of Falcao’s death.

According to reports, Falcao was standing outside of a bar when he was attacked and stabbed multiple times. It’s unclear if there is one or multiple suspects in the attack.

The 40-year-old Falcao was rushed to a local hospital but did not recover from his stab wounds, being pronounced dead just hours later.

Falcao began his professional MMA career back in 2004, making a name for himself in various Brazilian regional promotions. He would eventually sign with the UFC for a fight against Gerald Harris at UFC 123, earning a unanimous decision victory.

Falcao’s most notable performances came in Bellator, where he won the middleweight tournament championship over Andreas Spang. He would get a title shot against then-champion Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 88, losing via second-round knockout.

The UFC had planned to bring Falcao back to its promotion for multiple fights before he was let go for assaulting a female. He spent eight months in jail before serving the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

After beginning his career with an astounding 31-5 record, Falcao’s end to his MMA career was less than ideal. He lost his final five fights overseas, including in October against Nemanja Uveric at Serbian Battle Championship 36.

The investigation into Falcao’s death is ongoing and we’ll bring you the latest here at MMANews.

What is your reaction to the death of Maiquel Falcao?

Continue Reading MMA Fighter Maiquel Falcao Stabbed To Death In Brazil at MMA News.

MMA Fighter Manas Erkul Uulu Commits Suicide In Kyrgyzstan

MMA fighter and Kyrgyzstan grappling champion Manas Erkul Uulu committed suicide by hanging last Sunday in the city of Osh.

Uulu was found dead in his sister’s house based on local reports. The Internal Affairs Department of Kyrgyzstan re…

MANAS ERKUL UULU

MMA fighter and Kyrgyzstan grappling champion Manas Erkul Uulu committed suicide by hanging last Sunday in the city of Osh.

Uulu was found dead in his sister’s house based on local reports. The Internal Affairs Department of Kyrgyzstan revealed that Uulu hung himself in the bathroom on January 16. After discovering Uulu’s body, his sister tried to resuscitate Uulu with artificial respiration, but too much time had passed since the hanging.

A report from 24.kg news agency also revealed that Uulu had been wanted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for over two years.

As an MMA fighter, Uulu had a perfect record of 3-0. All three bouts took place in 2019 for the World Ertaymash Federation.

In his debut, he knocked out Azimjon Tojaliev by a first-round KO punch at WEF 72 – ProfFight 29. He followed up this performance by showcasing his grappling skills with a rear-naked choke submission victory over Usmonzhon Bazarov at WEF 78 two months later. Then in August, he earned another KO-punch victory when he defeated Mahmud Abdullaev at WEF 87.

No further information is available about this tragic story at this time.

Continue Reading MMA Fighter Manas Erkul Uulu Commits Suicide In Kyrgyzstan at MMA News.

GoFundMe Campaign Helps Autistic MMA Fighter Into World Championships

Irish MMA Team has selected MMA fighter Jordan Scully to compete in the Adult Mixed Martial Arts World Championships in Abu Dhabi at the end of January.

After taking home the silver medal last August at the IMMAF Youth World Championships in Bulga…

Irish MMA Team has selected MMA fighter Jordan Scully to compete in the Adult Mixed Martial Arts World Championships in Abu Dhabi at the end of January.

After taking home the silver medal last August at the IMMAF Youth World Championships in Bulgaria, the 18-year-old’s athletic career continues to soar.

“I am an 18-year-old man and I have autism. I am so proud of myself for getting to this level, winning silver at the previous youth world championships and I hope to make it to the UFC,” Scully said on his GoFundMe campaign created on January 4 to raise €2500 to enter the Adult Mixed Martial Arts World Championships.

Fast forward to today, Scully has the funds to compete in the amateur bout at the international tournament before entering the big leagues.

His no-quit attitude is what got him this far. Since the age of 13, Jordan practiced MMA with SGB Tullamore and has shown tremendous effort in proving his dedication to the craft.

“He is so dedicated. We literally have to kick him out of the gym every night. He’s here morning, noon, and night. He is brilliant,” said Jamie Houlihan of SGB Tullamore.

And don’t be surprised to hear the autistic fighter’s name in professional MMA headlines in the future.

“He has had his own challenges. He has focused himself on MMA and dedicated himself to it. He has created a life for himself and hopefully a future for his family. You can be guaranteed that Jordan will be in the UFC in the next three to four years,” Jamie continued.

Autism & MMA

Jordan Scully will not be the first autistic contender to compete as a fighter in professional MMA.

There are strong examples of MMA fighters representing the autistic community.

For instance, Serena “The Southpaw Outlaw” DeJesus is one of the first autistic MMA fighters and won her first professional bout back in April 2018.

Serena DeJesus

The Fusion Fight League mixed martial artist views herself as a positive role model.

“It’s a big reason why I fight,” she said. “I want to show that there can be good role models in the autism community. Everybody looks up to fighters. I can be that strong example that you can do it; even if something is hard, just try, try again. It’s great. I have two siblings who are also autistic, and they’re doing it too. One of them wants to fight like me when they get to be of age, and the other one wants to be social and be healthy, so it’s nice,” DeJesus told Montana Sports prior to her winning debut.

Welterweight John “Doomsday” Howard sets another example. Diagnosed with autism during his MMA career at age 33, the 38-year-old has seen success in many fight promotions, including the UFC and the PFL.

John Howard and Ray Cooper III
John “Doomsday” Howard and Ray Cooper III Photo Credit: Ryan Loco, PFL

The veteran fighter does not keep his “gift” hidden from the world. In fact, Howard wants children with special needs to see that a person with autism can achieve greatness.

“I want kids in special-needs classes, kids who get teased and bullied, to watch me fight or at least know about what I do,” he says. “I want them to know there’s someone out there who’s just like them and who’s doing great things,” said John Howard according to ESPN.

Dejesus and Howard have broken the mold—and faces—and refuse to slow down.

All fighters possess the motivation and drive to succeed. Having the courage to put yourself out there and crush your goals while facing adversity is a beyond outstanding achievement.

If Jordan Scully is victorious on January 29, his professional career is sure to skyrocket from then on. His progress and story are encouraging to many, even those of us outside of the autistic community.

How soon do you think we will see Jordan Scully in a professional bout?

Continue Reading GoFundMe Campaign Helps Autistic MMA Fighter Into World Championships at MMA News.

MMA Fighter Alleges Promotion’s Terrorism Ties Prevented His Payment

MMA fighter Marcus Davis, who recently made his MMA return at Premier FC 32, allegedly didn’t get paid for his first-round finish in November.

The 48-year-old Davis, who was a mainstay in the UFC’s welterweight division between 2006 and 2010, had m…

Marcus Davis

MMA fighter Marcus Davis, who recently made his MMA return at Premier FC 32, allegedly didn’t get paid for his first-round finish in November.

The 48-year-old Davis, who was a mainstay in the UFC’s welterweight division between 2006 and 2010, had made his return to the cage after a seven-year absence. Despite being long past his physical prime, Davis looked like he hadn’t missed a second of the action as he submitted Stephen Stengel in minutes.

But Davis isn’t happy with the way he’s been treated in the days and weeks since his return. In a recent thread on Facebook, the MMA fighter accused Premier FC of failing to pay him for his win for circumstances outside of his control.

“Zero, been two months, haven’t paid me 1 cent,” Davis said when asked if he’d been paid. “They ghosted me for the past 25 days. I reached out to them today to let them know I was going public. Only to have the CEO threaten me with an attorney if I spoke out. The claim is they took on an investor that after his check cleared the bank, the fed froze the account because the investor had ties to terrorism.”

During his time with the UFC, Davis had fought some of the best at 170 pounds, including Nate Diaz at UFC 118. He also earned wins over the likes of Chris Lytle and Paul Kelly in the Octagon.

The promotion has yet to respond to Davis’ comments and it’s unclear if he’ll ultimately be compensated for his latest victory.

You can view Davis’ first-round victory at the Premier FC 32 event below via Marcus Davis’ YouTube channel.

What is your reaction to these wild allegations of an MMA promotion failing to pay a fighter due to an investor being tied to terrorism?

Continue Reading MMA Fighter Alleges Promotion’s Terrorism Ties Prevented His Payment at MMA News.

Watch: Audience Member Interferes In Male vs. Female MMA Fight

An audience member had seen enough of an intergender MMA fight and decided to take action.

At a recent Russian MMA event, there was an intergender fight that took place between Russian pornstar and singer Alexander Pistoletov and his opponent, Sash…

Male Female Fight Interference

An audience member had seen enough of an intergender MMA fight and decided to take action.

At a recent Russian MMA event, there was an intergender fight that took place between Russian pornstar and singer Alexander Pistoletov and his opponent, Sasha Mamaha. The event was from a promotion titled “Epic Fighting Championship.” It is unconfirmed if either fighter has competed in an MMA contest before.

In any case, what could already be viewed as a circus of a contest from a matchmaking standpoint became even more chaotic when an audience member rushed into the cage and interfered in the matchup.

According to Twitter user @Matysek88, the individual who interfered was a friend of Mamaha’s. After diving onto Pistoletov and appearing to attempt a rough chokehold on the porn star, the official and security were able to pry him off of Pistoletov and escort him out of the cage.

At that point, the fight was restarted and Pistoletov was able to earn the submission victory.

You can view the entire bedlam for yourself below.

What is your reaction to this wild video?

Continue Reading Watch: Audience Member Interferes In Male vs. Female MMA Fight at MMA News.