Michael Kirkham 1980-2010
by Kanadian on Jun 28, 2010 6:51 PM EDT
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PrintAspiring mixed martial artist Michael Kirkham passed away earlier today (June 28) after succumbing to a brain hemorrhage that resulted from head trauma suffered in his debut loss at "Confrontation at the Convocation" from the USC Aiken Convocation Center on June 26 in Aiken, South Carolina.
Like the Sam Vasquez tragedy that gave us pause in late 2007, this morning's dispiriting report from WRDW in Augusta was a sobering reminder of the risk involved when competing in combat sports.
Beneath the spectacle of high profile pay-per-views and big money sponsorship deals lies the mortality of every man and woman that answers the call of professional fighting. It is with deep regret that I join the rank and file of MMA fans that too often forget how fortunate our sport has been to its fighters.
The early reports suggest that Kirkham's participation and eventual defeat were nothing short of ordinary, no different than the many thousands of fights that came before his.
While an autopsy is planned for June 29, there may be no smoking gun. What we may be left with is the reality that death is a permanent part of MMA. That of course will lead to another debate on the acceptance of MMA as a mainstream sport.
But now is not the time.
Michael Kirkham is gone. To best honor his memory, we must never forget the risk he took by stepping foot into the cage last Saturday night. It's the same risk that 22 other fighters will take at UFC 116 on July 3. Some will be cheered, some will be booed.
All must be respected.
(FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com)
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the article says 2nd
and Dana means in the ring/cage, not due to injuries suffered in a match but a day or more later. yes it’s a technicality, I’m just pointing it out
it sounds like
he died in the hospital after the fight……..as a result of the fight
never have any regrets, because at the time, thats all you wanted to do
Heard Both
Heard he was dead immediately, heard died to due hemoraging (*sp)
by AintNoSunshine on Jun 28, 2010 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Died Monday from a Saturday fight
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
You Know This Is Rough For MMA and The Fans
noone likes to see this. I thought for sure I saw an MMA death saturday night. Horrible stoppage. Horrible medics, horrible handling of the guy. Disgusting stuff. I just hope the story comes out and it was just an accident and all that could have been done for this guy was done and all rules were followed.
by AintNoSunshine on Jun 28, 2010 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Read the posters on this page, I thought MMA more popular than this. Some of these guys are talking like its 1993 still
Calling it human cockfighting and shit. Why do these people exist and why do they talk?
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
I have No Idea. It kinda bothers me.
Its bound to happen. In combat sports tragedy will strike. But that doesnt make it an easier to cope with. And it also doesnt prevent from people taking shots at our sport.
by AintNoSunshine on Jun 28, 2010 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Many of those guys are just anti fighting in anything including boxing
I know parents that will not put there kids in hockey or football becasue they think it is to violent. To each there own but when there is a death in any sport many eye will be on this smaller promotion and most likely after all the lawsuites it will no longer be around. This will make it harder for smaller organizations to get licensed in certain states depending what the investigation finds. No doubt there is going to half to be someone to blame and msot likely it will be this small org.
"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson
It's crazy Puck
my son is 8 and started playing football when he was 4. There are so many parents even at sign ups trying to persuade others to play soccer instead as football is too violent and dangerous. I can see being against racism or rape, but to be against any sport is just ignorant! I could die walking my dog and getting hit by a drunk driver, if it’s your time to go it’s your time to go!
Yeah I hear that
You have a right to raise your kid how you want but don/t preach to me or my family. It/s not that bad here that I have heard anyway jsut the the “I wouldn/t put my kid in that or this becasue it is too violent”, I think with our Riders being so popular here they bring to much positive attention to the sport of football. But I have heard a few comments about MMA and boxing should be banned?
"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson
I read a study that young soccer players are more likely to get a concusion than american footballers (one sport where hitting 70mph ball with your head is encouraged, the other has helmets), deaths on the pitch also happen way more often in soccer, so in this case the dangerousness of the sport has more to do with public opinion than with reality. The same is true in boxing and MMA’s “gentelman’s sport vs cockfighting” although, again, MMA ir more safer than boxing.
they also
dont go into any depth in regards to the fighters medical history, but wtf is a lw doing standing at 6’9"? is he related to cory hill? its very unfortunate that this happened, but we should find out if he has had multiple concussions in the past or an existing medical condition.
never have any regrets, because at the time, thats all you wanted to do
concussions will be the death of this sport.
they just said that receiver from cinci who fell of the truck had a lot of bad shit come up in the autopsy, all linked to concussions, same with chris benoit’s autopsy. I would like to know how often fighters get concussions because it seems unavoidable given the nature of the sport and size of the gloves. The sport is still so young, i have a feeling 1-20 years from now we will get the mother of all shit-storms and will change the sport forever.
"You're in this dark tunnel and you've got no way out, you're waiting for light, and you see that light, what do you do? What do you do? You start digging, and getting out. ... I've always beleived you stay in the tunnel and you keep digging when you expect no light. You have the same faith when you expect no light. You have the same beleif in what you're doing when you expect no light. ... It's dark and I'm going to dig through. My shovel is sharp and my pick is sharp and my will is outstanding." --Rod Marinelli 2008 (on his way to that sweet 16!)
by DrewMoney$$$ on Jun 28, 2010 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Another video maybe
http://www.bayanihantayo.com/2010/06/2447/mma-fighter-michael-kirkham-dies-in-pro-debut-video
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
I don't know how to post a video, but I think that's the fight
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
Nope that was his amateur debut
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
Tall Lanky Dude.
Crazy. my heart goes out to his family.
by AintNoSunshine on Jun 28, 2010 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions
6'9" 155 pounder
You see many of those around?
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
Are you serious? He was actually 6'9", 155??
Using no way as way, having no limitation as limitation.
Cutting to that weight is dangerous for that height. It does not sound like he knew what was healthy and safe for himself as a fighter. Unfortunately, MMA is popular right now so most people think they can break into it without complications.
Friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty. Only enemies speak the truth.
-Stephen King
Good point.
Friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty. Only enemies speak the truth.
-Stephen King
That's what I think
He’s a bone rack, that might be his normal walking around size.
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
aint no, how often do fighters get concussions?
"You're in this dark tunnel and you've got no way out, you're waiting for light, and you see that light, what do you do? What do you do? You start digging, and getting out. ... I've always beleived you stay in the tunnel and you keep digging when you expect no light. You have the same faith when you expect no light. You have the same beleif in what you're doing when you expect no light. ... It's dark and I'm going to dig through. My shovel is sharp and my pick is sharp and my will is outstanding." --Rod Marinelli 2008 (on his way to that sweet 16!)
by DrewMoney$$$ on Jun 28, 2010 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions
You should change the title
2nd.
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
Third death
Douglas Dedge
Sam Vasquez
Michael Kirkham
It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.
I Always Forget About Sam Vasquez
What was that story?
by AintNoSunshine on Jun 28, 2010 8:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Vasquez
It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.
by Jesse Holland on Jun 28, 2010 9:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Douglas was in an unregulated event in ukraine.
so people try to pass it off like it didn’t really happen to MMA. Always found that strange.
Big Nog for Life
Inventor/supporter of "Gleison Tibau to Featherweight" movement.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Jun 29, 2010 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions
I will see your three and make it 4
Douglas Dedge
Sam Vasquez
Micheal Kirkham
Jesse Holland (for ever correcting me)
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
Holy shit! Jesse's dead too?
Now I can finally take over Mania. You’re all mine now bitches!
The only real possession you'll ever have is your character. — Tom Wolfe
They need to get rid of this freakshow bullshit mma
I’m not saying this is one but there is a lot of bs fights that get sanctioned. All it does is give the critics fuel. I am 100% confident no one will die in the ufc or strikeforce or bellator.
I was thinking that too. But where would the fighters for UFC, SF, Bellator come from?
They need leagues or giant organizations to cut out the backyard shit.
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
Yes I see you point
But orgs still sanction fights like kyel maynard, ken shamrock, gary goodridge, sean salmon, shit like that is not good.
Did you watch that fight on youtube?
It wasnt even that brutal, ref did fine, unless i watched the wrong fight. Thats crazy that he died from that, they must not have did a valid medical check before that.
The only one I saw was the one I linked above
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
It wasn't the fight he died in.
That was his amateur debut
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
From what i've read it was your regular KO
but he just never woke up. Was unconscious going to the hospital and really passed away there.
Big Nog for Life
Inventor/supporter of "Gleison Tibau to Featherweight" movement.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Jun 29, 2010 12:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Coundn't find the fight
Might have had an aneurysm that was waiting to burst or a weakening during training and whatever shot he took was enough.
?
You can’t really say things like that. Look at the Baroni and Sadollah fight. Baroni took some much punishment in that fight. I personally think the fight should have been stopped a few times. Those kind of fights make MMA look bad. Look at this past weekend with the Santos vs Finney fight. That fight should have been called also. That is the toughest woman I have ever seen fight. She has a lot of heart to take a beating like that and keep going. But you really can’t say someone won’t die from a fight whether it’s in the UFC, SF, or any other promotion. All it takes is one punch or kick to the head and it’s over.
yep and i think it would probably be like the sammy vasquez situation where
a medical condition slips by and during the fight something happens. Many assume it only happens in dumpy shows with shitty commissions but it’s only a matter of a slip up. For example i bet most people don’t know for example that Ninja Rua suffered a brain hemmorage when Sergei clipped him with that KO shot in Pride. Ninja has fought many times since then too.
Big Nog for Life
Inventor/supporter of "Gleison Tibau to Featherweight" movement.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Jun 29, 2010 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions
I was at the event
I was at the event and I also train at the same gym that Michael’s opponent trains at. The Referee stoppage i think came a little to late, but all the strikes looked legal from where I was sitting (elbows and punches). The paramdeics seemed to take entirely to long to attend to him. It was almost 20 minutes before they removed him from the ring. A doctor in the crowd actually intervened when she realized after a few minutes that he was not responding and the paramedics were taking their sweet time. The event itself was sanctioned by the ISKA and it wasnt a “poorly organized” event. Some think that he might have had a pre-existing injury to his brain, but we wont know for some time.
Our gym is accepting donations for the fighter’s funeral arrangements, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Deaths in MMA
I always feel the weight cuts are to blame. In Boxing and mma. A Bunch of fighters drain themselves sooo much. I know lately in boxing they have been doing weight checks 3 months out. Maybe we should get this done in mma as well. I love boxing much more, but I dont want this sport to fail especially from assumptions. I think all proper measures should be taken. If there was no indication of brain problems, I would look at the weight cuts. I would much rather watch a combat sport than football or basketball. To me these sports are boring. People already have a bad view of this sport as it is…..it is all about education.
Wow I thought I brought up a valid point in our discussion about me quoting the article =[
Wanted to see the guys response before I went to bed
Deaths in Sports Just Part of Life
A death in any sport is always sad and seems unacceptable, yet in Texas, we average a death in high school football about every 3-4 years. However, since football isn’t considered a violent sport, the media never picks up on it too much. And it helps that nobody has an agenda to try and ban high school football.
In 1998 my cousin sustained a concussion in a football game, passed out on the field and never regained consciousness. He was careflighted to a hospital where he stayed in a coma for a week and then died. Apparently he had suffered from a concussion a week earlier in practice and nobody had caught it. This was a horrible experience for my family, but given some time, we all still watch football.
Life has risks, we move one. It would not be fair for a third party to tell us, you can’t do that, its too dangerous. I scuba dive, snow ski, and train BJJ and Judo. I am aware of all of the risks involved with my activities and so are MMA fighters. We’ve got to let them do their thing and just enjoy watching it.
Good post. I am sorry about your cousin. That is tragic. I am speculating but this fighter's height/weight sounds dangerous. Any medically educated Maniacs verify or debunk this? His BMI seemed way off IMO.
Friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty. Only enemies speak the truth.
-Stephen King
He was 6'9 - 155 lbs. Are you sure about that stat?
Friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty. Only enemies speak the truth.
-Stephen King
Sorry to hear about that WFBJJ
"Right Leg Hospital, Left Leg Cemetery " ~ Cro Cop.
"One time my wrist watch stopped from fear". ~ Cro Cop.
Amen
I wish the media, and others thought more the way you do. It’s pathetic how people would rather dwell on whats negative, versus whats positive. Especially the media. The media would rather talk about a little girl that was raped and murdered, versus speaking on the wonderful things people are doing to make us free and happy. I just once want to hear a story in the media about what someone did good to help a life versus what someone did to take a life.
Damn..This is not good
I feel first for his family and friends. Secondly for who he fought, that would suck knowing i killed a dude with out intention. Thrid for the MMA world. This will be SUPER bad exposure for MMA. I also think this will not help the chances of getting MMA approved in NYC.
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