10 tragic deaths in MMA

Imagine the Daytona International Speedway or Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium or Camp Nou packed to capacity - that's 100,000 people. That was the size of the rambunctious crowd that gathered at Belfast Harbour on 2nd April 1912, to see off the Titanic as it set sail for Southampton, from where it embark on its maiden voyage. As the multitude marvelled at the near 900-foot floating palace, cheering and waving handkerchiefs, little could they have known that it would meet its tragic end barely a fortnight later.

But such is the fleetingness of life. That which is seemingly invincible can be snatched away in an instant. And mixed martial artists are no exception. They appear to be perfectly engineered machines, in unbelievable physical condition and on the surface, in no apparent threat. But who knows what the fates have decided for a person?

These warriors were completely aware of and familiar with the danger inside a cage, but it was away from the battleground that they fell. Here are 10 MMA fighters who left this world much too soon:

---

#10 Lance Sawyer II

Lance Sawyer and his fiance, Krystle Booth

It leaves you dumbstruck when you hear instances of the mundane turning fatal. Which is what happened to 22-year-old Lance Sawyer on a cold April morning in 2015, at his workplace, Ward Lumber Mill. The Au Sable Forks, NY, resident was operating a board edger, something he had probably done numerous times on an everyday basis, when a board kicked back and hit him in the chest.

Sawyer was rushed to the hospital but could not be revived despite all efforts. He was pronounced dead shortly after twelve noon. His parents, co-workers and former teachers reminisce of him as a kind, amiable, family-oriented man who appreciated the simpler things in life.

He and his father, Lance Sr., shared a passion for music and Lance was a skilled guitarist. At the time of his passing, Lance Sawyer was engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Krystle Booth, with whom he had three children.

#9 Jared Platt

At just 26, Jared Platt was a respected member of the wrestling fraternity

Anybody who's seen fights of or read about Daniel Cormier, Justin Gaethje or Cain Velasquez knows how tough wrestlers are. Jared Platt seemed destined to follow in their footsteps. Amongst his many accolades were gold medals in Freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 2007 Pan American Junior Nationals, a gold an the 2007 Junior Nationals in freestyle and a silver in the 2010 University Nationals.

But what's most impressive is the fact that he scaled those heights while battling type 1 diabetes and defying doctors who advised him against wrestling.

Platt was a coach at a wrestling academy run by his high school mentor and venerated wrestling coach, Jeff Buxton. In September 2015, Platt was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away in January 2016 and is survived by his wife and 2 daughters.

#8 Ivan "JP" Cole

Ivan and Kymberli Cole

Russian Roulette was first described in Russian literary giant Mikhail Lermontov's "The Fatalist", where a character puts a gun to his head, loaded with an unknown number of bullets, pulls the trigger and survives.

Since then, it has been featured in many works of fiction, from Georges Surdez's short story of the same name to Robert de Niro's classic, "The Deer Hunter" and Denzel Washington's "Malcolm X". It is one of those things that should have stayed in the imagination and never manifested itself.

Sadly, it did, and the results were as harrowing as you would expect. And none more so than in the case of Ivan "JP" Cole. The 25-year-old's body was found in a Dallas apartment in June 2016, dead of a gunshot wound. His wife, Kymberli, confirmed the cause of death and was in need of financial assistance to help her and their young daughter. Cole had lost three of his five fights, his last one being under the Bellator banner.

#7 Dave Legeno

Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback in the Harry Potter series

MMA fans who are also Potterheads will recognize this name. The strapping Londoner played werewolf Fenrir Greyback in the last 3 Harry Potter films, not to mention in other notable movies like Guy Ritchie's "Snatch", Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" and Morgan Freeman-starrer, "Last Knights".

Legeno had a stint in pro-wrestling before bagging a role in "Snatch" and between film roles, made his MMA debut in 2005. He didn't the ideal start to his career, losing his first 3 fights, but won his next four, beating legends like UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn, Kimo Leopoldo and Herb Dean.

In July 2014, Legeno's body was found by a pair of hikers in Death Valley, California. It is believed that dehydration and heat-related issues were the cause of death.

#6 Ryan Gracie

Left to right - Ryan, Renzo and Ralph Gracie

In terms of bad boy image, Ryan Gracie makes Conor McGregor, Colby Covington and the Diaz brothers look like wobbly toddlers. His nickname, "Fera", which means "wild" in Portugese, was well-deserved, as he was known more for his fights outside the sport than in it.

Despite him and his brother Ralph helping pioneer BJJ in the city of Sao Paulo, Ryan's notoriety would become his calling card. The height of his infamy was when he joined the "Pit Boys", a Rio De Janeiro gang who would assault people on the streets after dark.

Ryan had feuds with several prominent BJJ competitors, but none as violent as his 2001 bust-up with a local thug, Marcus Vinicius Rosa, where Ryan was stabbed. When Ryan signed with PRIDE FC, the company was quick to turn this ferality into his USP, something that brought Japanese fans in droves.

After his last fight in PRIDE in 2004, Ryan would become dependent on drugs. In Sao Paulo in December 2007, Ryan would steal a car and then crash it. In an attempt to evade the police, he tried to steal a bike from a delivery man, but was unsuccessful.

While detained, the police called a psychiatrist to administer drugs to pacify Ryan. The injection would prove fatal, and Ryan was found dead the next morning. The doctor was charged with negligence and sentenced to two years of community service.

Ryan's now 16-year-old son, Rayron, won gold in the IBJJF World Championship last year.

#5 Jordan Parsons

Jordan Parsons (extreme right), died on May 4, his coach, Neil Melanson's (center) birthday

Jordan Parsons is one of the unheralded names in MMA. Braving humble beginnings and bullying because of his weight and his father's skin condition, Parsons became a fast rising prospect, amassing an impressive 11-2 record.

A member of the renowned Blackzilians camp, Parsons was signed to Bellator and had won 2 of his 3 fights with the promotion.

On May 1, 2016, Parsons was crossing the road near his home in Delray Beach, Florida when a speeding Range Rover hit him and sped away. Doctors amputated half his right leg in an attempt to save him. Parsons succumbed to his injuries on May 4th. The culprit, 28-year-old Dennis Wright, was later arrested by police.

#4 Evan Tanner

Evan Tanner

Evan Tanner's prodigious wrestling ability was evidenced by two Texas State Championships after just a couple of years of training. He would channel that into formidable ground skills in MMA, which at a time when fighters weren't very versatile, meant a quick rise to the top.

Tanner was the first American to win the Pancrase Neo Blood tournament and the only USWF Heavyweight champion. He won the vacant UFC Middleweight Championship by beating David Terrell at UFC 51, but lost his first title defense to Rich Franklin. This loss marked a drastic change of fortunes, as Franklin dropped three of his next four fights and developed an alcohol dependence.

In August-September 2008, Tanner went on what appeared as a soul-searching journey into the California desert. Those who were aware expressed concern because he was venturing into it alone and with minimal equipment. Tanner kept friends updated about his whereabouts in the desert, but these calls stopped a little into his first day of the trip, September 3rd.

When temperatures reached 48 degrees and Tanner's calls had stopped, his friends reported him missing. Tanner's body was found near a spring where he had intended to collect water, but which, had alas gone dry. The cause of death was ruled as heat stroke. It was cruelly ironic that many bottles of water and his bike were found back at his campsite.

#3 Josh Samman

Josh Samman and Hailey Bevis

When Cheryl Phoenix, Josh Samman's mother, was interviewed after his death, she showed media a picture her son had drawn of himself as a kid, of what he wanted to be when he grew up. It was a drawing of a fighter, hand raised, with a championship belt wrapped around his waist. But as he entered his teens, it seemed as though that dream would never come to pass.

Samman developed a serious drug habit and spent time behind bars for burglary and grand theft. By his late teens, Samman had dropped out of school, was on his own, selling drugs to pay the bills. As if guided by fate, Samman chanced upon an MMA gym one day and it seemed that a spear of light had broken through the darkness that was closing in on him.

Life took a turn for the better when Samman got back together with former flame Hailey Bevis, herself a recovering addict. According to those close to him, Samman became a kinder, gentler person after Bevis reentered his life. But tragedy struck in August 2013 when Bevis died in a car crash. Samman started having suicidal thoughts, but penning his memoir was a salve for the pain.

On December 6th, 2014, Bevis' birthday, Samman produced a contender for KOTY when he head kicked Edie Gordon. The win was all the more special because Samman had lost his grandmother, stepfather and dog that year. In the meantime, Samman and his friend Troy Kirkingburg founded one of Florida's most successful MMA promotions.

Samman continued using drugs but it seemed as though he kept it on a tight leash. It turned out otherwise when Samman was found unconscious and Kirkingburg dead, in their apartment on September 29. The medical examiner believes that he had overdosed on heroin. Samman slipped into a coma and passed away 6 days later.

#2 Gilbert Aldana

Gilbert Aldana

Imagine the horror of witnessing one of your loved ones drown to death; that's what Gilbert Aldana's wife and two sons went through. In August 2007, Aldana and fellow MMA fighter Dave Connant and their families went boating in Lake Pleasant, Arizona. Aldana's t-shirt blew into the water and he jumped in after it.

A strong wing, coupled with the icy cold water and Aldana's 6 foot plus, 250 pound frame made the lake seem like it was made of quicksand. Seeing Aldana struggling, Connant jumped in and managed to haul both of them to the boat. He managed to get a hand on the boat, but the wind was pulling them away from Aldana, whose hand suddenly slipped out of Connant's.

Big John McCarthy reminisced about Aldana's heart in an article in FIGHT! magazine. Aldana gassed in the first round of his UFC debut against Paul Buentello but refused to submit. Buentello, dismayed by the amount of punishment Aldana was absorbing, begged him to give up. Unflinchingly, Aldana said "You'll have to kill me first".

#1 Ryan Jimmo

Ryan Jimmo and fianceRoxie Reece

MMA fans were shell-shocked when they heard about UFC Light Heavyweight Ryan Jimmo's death. The horrific dichotomy of how such a likable person met such a disturbing end is baffling.

On June 26, 2016, Jimmo was leaving a bar with his girlfriend in Edmonton, Canada when he had an argument with a couple of men in the parking lot. As Jimmo was walking away, the black pick-up truck knocked him down and sped away. This was just hours after he had proposed to his girlfriend, Roxie Reece.

Friends and loved ones remember him as an affable, happy-go-lucky person who was the life of every gathering. Fight fans remember him for producing the second fastest knockout in UFC history (7 seconds) and celebrating his wins by doing the robot.