SHOCKING

MMA Fighter, 31, Dies After Sustaining Injury During Match

He collapsed in the third round of the fight.

An MMA fighter collapsed during a match in Cicero, Illinois, and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Isaac T. Johnson, 31, died on Saturday at 12:01 a.m. at Loyola University Medical Center after sustaining injuries during a fight at the Matador Fighter Challenge at Cicero Stadium. “I’m still processing this. I just don’t know,” event promoter Joe Goytia told The Athletic. According to Goytia, Johnson had passed all required pre-fight physical examinations before his Friday match, which was his first scheduled fight. He collapsed in the third round against amateur MMA fighter Corey Newell, and an ambulance was called at around 8:38 p.m. local time. “I really didn’t see them land anything that would have been like ‘Wow, that’s what did it,’” Goytia said, describing the fight as a “slug fest.” Johnson’s cause of death has not been released, but an autopsy has been scheduled. Following Johnson’s collapse, the remaining fights were delayed by 30 minutes, but the show proceeded. “I know all the protocols were followed correctly, but in this case, it didn’t work,” Gotyia said.