Combat sports come with an inherent amount of danger, and fighters put their lives at risk no matter how many precautions are taken. Unfortunately, tragedy struck Hardrock MMA 90 on Friday, as heavyweight Donshay White passed away following an amateur bout at the Louisville, KY event.
As per a report from the Courier-Journal, White, 37, was stopped two minutes into the second round of his fight with opponent Ricky Muse. A short time later, in the locker room, White suffered what is being referred to as a “cardiac event” and collapsed.
White was rushed to hospital, and the remainder of the event canceled.
In a statement posted to their official Facebook page, the promotion wrote that “Hardrock MMA joins the entire MMA community in mourning Donshay White.” They added that “as a promotion who has put together 89 events over the last eight years without incident, we always have and we will continue to put our fighters safety above all else. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones.”
The Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Commission also provided a statement, saying that “Mr. White was attended to by a licensed ringside physician and first responders immediately following his bout, and he received on-site medical attention before being transported via ambulance to the hospital”
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Donshay White following his passing on Saturday.”
White had last fought in 2015, with a couple of scheduled fights canceled in 2016. He was 1-0 entering into the Hardrock MMA 90 bout. His death follows the recent passing of UFC vet Tim Hague following a boxing match in Edmonton, and the close call suffered by Dada 5000 after his fight against Kimbo Slice under the Bellator MMA banner.
