Former UFC fighter dies after knockout in boxing fight

What’s the story?

Former UFC fighter Tim Hague passed away on Sunday following a knockout in a boxing fight. Hague was knocked out by Adam Braidwood during their fight on Friday in Edmonton, Alberta and had to be taken to a hospital. He was knocked down five times in the first two rounds before the fight was stopped. The 34-year-old was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital and remained there over the weekend, but was unable to recover.

A statement from Tim’s family read: "It is with incredible sadness, sorrow and heartbreak to report that Tim has passed away today. He was surrounded by family, listening to his favourite songs. We will miss him so greatly. We ask for privacy during this difficult time."

Besides competitive fighting, Hague was a teacher. The principal at Ecole Bellevue School in Edmonton, Jennifer El-Khatib said, “Our hearts are heavy. Mr Hague was a beloved teacher and staff member. His students loved him and looked up to him, and he was an important part of our school community.”

In case you didn’t know...

Hague had competed in five matches in the Ultimate Fighting Championships from 2009 to 2011, winning his debut bout against Pat Barry and losing his other four. His overall Mixed Martial Arts record over 34 matches was 21-13 with 15 knockouts and four submissions.

Hague won heavyweight titles in the Unified MMA promotion and in the XFFC.

The heart of the matter

In 2011, Tim Hague announced that he would be taking time off to recover from a concussion that he was suffering from due to past fights where he had been knocked out four times in two years.

Hague had been focusing on boxing since 2016 after leaving mixed martial arts and had suffered three straight losses across nine months. The Canadian's boxing record was similar to that of his UFC record with a victory over Patrick Graham followed by three losses, the last two being knockout losses against Mladen Miljas and Adam Braidwood.

Tim Hague had been knocked down multiple times during the fight, but the referee only called for a finish after one punch left him out cold in the second round. According to Sportsnet’s James Lynch, the fight against Adam Braidwood resulted in a serious brain injury for Hague which proved to be fatal.

Anthony Johnson, who had lost a UFC Heavyweight title fight against Daniel Cormier in April had cited Hague’s injury when talking about his own retirement. He had written on Instagram that he had knocked out a lot of people and was afraid of something like this happening to others or even himself.

What’s next?

This fight and the refereeing during the bout will certainly be investigated by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission (ECSC).

Sports like wrestling, boxing and American football have been plagued by concussions and brain related injuries in the past and questions will be raised whether the respective sporting bodies have to enforce stricter measures to reduce fatal injuries.

Author’s take

It is always heartbreaking when an unfortunate incident like this occurs. Hopefully, this causes sporting bodies to make wholesale changes regarding athletes’ health and fitness.