Portuguese Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Joao Carvalho reportedly succumbed to his injuries Monday after getting brutally knocked out by Charlie Ward during a bout at the National Stadium in Dublin. Ward is an SBG (Straight Blast Gym) teammate of UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
Carvalho suffered a TKO (technical knockout) defeat at the hands of Ward during the third round of their welterweight fight at the Total Extreme Fighting 1 event in Dublin. The fight was attended by McGregor and he was seen cheering his teammate from outside the cage.
The UFC Featherweight champion, who is scheduled to take on Nate Diaz at UFC 200, himself said after the fight it should have been stopped way earlier. McGregor also urged the referees to be more alert during fights.
"My teammate Charlie had a good win just there. Hell of a fight," he was quoted as saying by the Mirror after the fight. "Yer man [Carvalho] took some big shots. Thought it could have been stopped a little earlier. I feel these referee's need to be on the ball a little bit. [sic]"
The Portuguese fighter rportedly felt ill after the fight and was soon rushed to the Beaumont hospital in Dublin following the Saturday night event. Carvalho underwent an emergency surgery Monday night, but the 28-year-old apparently couldn't cope with the amount of injuries he had sustained, and died at 9:35 p.m. GMT.
The news of his death was confirmed by his Nobrega team Tuesday in a Facebook post.
"The Nobrega team is here to confirm the passing of Joao Carvalho, which happened last night at Beaumont Hospital, in Dublin, at 21.35. It's with great consternation and sadness that we write these words, informing you that the athlete died after 48 hours in a critical state, [sic]" the post read.
"During the TEF-MMA event, which took place on Saturday at the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin, during which all safety regulations were observed, and after a fight during which the referee followed all the rules, [Carvalho] was taken ill, around 20 minutes after the end of the fight, [sic]" said the post.
"Still in the stadium, he was immediately helped by the medical team present and afterwards was quickly transported to Beaumont Hospital, where he underwent brain surgery. After that, he remained in a critical state for 48 hours until passing away on Monday, [sic]" it added.
"Despite the non-stop medical assistance given by staff at the event and at the hospital – who we thank for their support during these difficult moments – and despite knowing the risks of this sport, the death of Joao Carvalho was, in my view, a huge tragedy, which leaves his family and the Nobrega team, which was with him for his whole career, during which he stood out on a national and international level, [sic]" it said, adding: "We offer our sincere condolences to the family and to all the Nobrega Team."
