Justin Thornton, an MMA fighter, died earlier this week because of injuries sustained after a knockout loss at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) 20 in August. Thornton, who had 24 pro fights in his MMA career, competed in a heavyweight fight against Dillon Cleckler at BKFC 20. Cleckler knocked Thornton out with a right-hand punch just about just 18 seconds into the match. This, sadly, later resulted in his death.
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The two Mississippi-based fighters faced off twice before, once in a Mixed Martial Arts fight in 2013, and once again in a bare-knuckle boxing bout. Cleckler won both fights by first-round knockout.
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Justin Thornton: Post-fight condition
Justin Thornton lasted less than 20 seconds in the ring before collapsing face-first, following a knockout. After awkwardly hitting the ground, Justin had to be taken out on a stretcher. Later, the fighter’s personal Facebook page reported that he had incurred horrific a spinal cord injury. According to reports, Thornton suffered partial paralysis.
The fighter’s GoFundMe page went up to collect funds, as he needed a ventilator to breathe. He stayed in the hospital for several weeks following the BKFC event while also fighting an infection caused by spinal cord damage.
The Justin Thornton knockout video has gone viral because it is extremely rare for a veteran of his caliber to be knocked out in a single punch. Many followers shared the video on social media. However, the injury appeared to be significant, as the video finished with the referee rushing the medical team up the ring.
Justin Thornton was a regular fighter on the mixed martial arts circuit prior to his battle in BKFC. He competed in promotions like AKA, RAR, Combat Night, and AFP. The fighter went 6-18 in a 12-year MMA career. His last professional mixed martial arts bout was against Titan FC COO Lex McMahon. In that match in November 2020, Justin Thornton suffered his fifth defeat in a row.
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