Earlier this week, incredibly unfortunate news arrived that Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev had passed away from injuries sustained in a fight last Saturday.
He had collapsed outside the ring following the 11th round of a vicious war with Subriel Matias. His trainer Buddy McGirt had decided to throw in the towel to cheers from the crowd, but Dadashev was already injured. He later passed away on July 23rd.
The combat sports world united in remembrance of the 28-year-old Dadashev. UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov was especially emotional about what happened. ‘The Eagle’ issued a somber, emotional statement on Dadashev’s passing in his native Russian on Instagram where he provided a dire outlook on combat sports. Read his words translated via MMA Mania here:
“This case once again proves that sport is not the most important thing. There are things that are much more important. Every time I see or hear such news, I begin to hate this sport in which we beat each other. Everything is temporary: fame, money, titles, and our whole life, we all leave this world, no one will remain. It is worth thinking.”
“Patience to all relatives and friends of Maxim,” Khabib concluded. “Do good and may the Most High reward us for our deeds and deeds in the next life, and forgive us our sins.”
Two Unfortunate Passings Lately
While the sport of boxing has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance in recent years to create an entertaining dynamic juxtaposed opposite MMA, the ugly parts of combat sports have been exposed recently.
Dadashev’s death was obviously a saddening occurrence, and it didn’t stop there. Just yesterday, another 28-year-old boxer named Hugo Santillan, a former South American WBC super-featherweight champion, passed away from a similar injury and surgery to the ones Dadashev experienced.
It’s enough to make even a seasoned vet of sanctioned violence like Nurmagomedov question the brutality of combat sports.
