Golden Glory releases statement on circumstances surrounding the death of Vitali Mitu

Earlier this week, Golden Glory released the autopsy result and other details regarding the death of Vitali Mitu.

Mitu, a 22 year-old native of Soldanesti, Moldova, collapsed following a sparring session last Thursday with three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Semmy Schilt (pictured), at Golden Glory's gym in Bucharest, Romania.

According to the statement signed by trainers Ciprian Sora and Horia Radulescu, Mitu "fainted without being hit" and after a brief first aid effort proved fruitless, an ambulance arrived a few minutes later. At the hospital, Mitu was pronounced dead due to cardiorespiratory arrest, "without signs of violence except normal ones caused by resuscitation maneuvers."

The initial eyewitness reports claiming that Mitu crumbled to the mat after receiving a knee strike to the chest by the 6-foot-11, 300-pound Schilt raised concerns that the trauma from the strike may have contributed to his death; however, an autopsy conducted by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine from Bucharest determined that Vitali died of "an acute viral pneumonia that turned into pulmonary edema, without signs of trauma other than those caused by resuscitation maneuvers."

Mitu started kickboxing more than four years ago and had been training at Golden Glory Romania for about eight months. Schilt had been in Romania to prepare for his Dec. 5 appearance in the K-1 World Grand Prix where he is among the eight finalists vying for the tournament crown.

The statement (courtesy of Sherdog.com) expressed the anguish felt by the members of the famed K-1/MMA gym, stating that "what happened on Thursday evening was something we didn’t expect, an unfortunate event, a tremendous pain for everybody, trainers, colleagues, acquaintances and family."

Rest in peace, Vitali.