Home

UFC

Tragic TKO Loss Results in the Death of a 27-Year-Old MMA Fighter With UFC Aspirations

Published 03/17/2022, 10:30 AM EDT

Follow Us

The MMA world went into shock, as the news of Christian Lubenga passing away came in on Wednesday, March 16. Lubenga, 27, recently made his amateur debut at the AMMO Fight League. However, the fighter with UFC ambitions lost the fight against Cody McCracken in the third round via TKO. The event happened on March 12, 2022, at the Big E in Springfield, Massachusetts.

After the fight, Lubenga was taken to a hospital where he passed away on Monday. Subsequently, the unfortunate incident shocked the MMA world.

Lubenga, a father, fought from the Black Wolf Martial Arts gym who released a touching statement for the fighter.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The Instagram post was captioned, “We are at a loss of words. This is what a nightmare looks like…. It cant even be properly articulated with words and on a social media post nonetheless. We wanted to give the family some time to make their own decisions about how to go public with this before we spoke on it out of respect. While we ourselves are grieving and it’s difficult to even type this out we felt it appropriate to take a moment to say a few things.”

“Christian wasn’t just any student. Christian was the kind of human who brought life and light into any room he walked into. Christian was our family. We shared laughs, stories, blood, sweat, tears. He’s the kind of person I aspire to be like and I wish more people were like him. Polite, professional, humble, always kind to everyone no matter what. We spent hundreds of thousands of hours together doing the things we were passionate about. Christian was a true martial artist in every aspect of the word and a true warrior. We love you Christian. We all love you.”

Meanwhile, his family awaits the autopsy report as the cause of death remains unknown.

All You Need to Know About Dustin Poirier and His Charity Organization– The Good Fight Foundation

Injuries in MMA/UFC

Sustaining injuries is one aspect of participating in a combat sport that is MMA. In the past, there have been some instances where athletes have sustained gruesome injuries. However, regulated promotions, such as the UFC, undertake every possible precaution to avoid any extreme circumstances.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Chris Weidman vs. Uriah Hall – Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman suffered a horrific leg injury during his fight with Uriah Hall in 2021.

Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman – A similar incident involving Chris Weidman took place in 2013. Only this time, Anderson Silva was on the receiving end of a broken tibia.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier – In 2021, former UFC champion Conor McGregor suffered a broken tibia and fibula during his fight against Dustin Poirier. After that, fans made a lot of concerns regarding the safety of the fighters.

WATCH THIS STORY: From Michael Bisping to Dan Hardy: Greatest Fighters From the UK in UFC History

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Utkarsh Gathani

150Articles

One take at a time

Utkarsh Gathani is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. A Mass Communication graduate from Wilson College, this sports buff, who is captivated by multiple sports, adores MMA. Conor McGregor is the reason for that as Utkarsh is in awe of the man's unbelievable striking ability, his lifestyle, and his trash talking.
Show More>