CONOR McGREGOR has been left devastated by the death of Portuguese Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star Joao Carvalho but has hit back at critics questioning “our way of living”.
Carvalho required emergency brain surgery and was in a critical condition for 48 hours following a fight with Irish MMA fighter Charlie Ward at the National Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
However, he died on Tuesday, prompting an emotional McGregor – who witnessed the fight from ringside – to post this heartfelt message on his Facebook page.
Terrible news regarding Joao Carvalho.
To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to have it taken away is truly heartbreaking.
We are just men and women doing something we love in the hope of a better life for ourselves and our families. Nobody involved in combat sports of any kind wants to see this. It is such a rare occurrence that I don't know how to take this.
I was ringside supporting my teammate, and the fight was so back and forth, that I just can't understand it.
My condolences go out to Joao's family and his team. Their man was a hell of a fighter and will be sorely missed by all.
Combat sport is a crazy game and with the recent incident in boxing and now this in MMA, it is a sad time to be a fighter and a fight fan.
It is easy for those on the outside to criticise our way of living, but for the millions of people around the world who have had their lives, their health, their fitness and their mental strength all changed for the better through combat, this is truly a bitter pill to swallow. We have lost one of us.
I hope we remember Joao as a champion, who pursued his dream doing what he loved, and show him the eternal respect and admiration he deserves.
Rest in peace, Joao.
McGregor is a stablemate of Ward, Carvalho’s final opponent, as they both fight under trainer John Kavanagh’s, who runs Dublin’s famous Straight Blast Gym.
The "recent incident in boxing" the Dubliner alludes to in his statement refers to middleweight boxer Nick Blackwell, who spent seven days in a coma before awaking following his fight with Chris Eubank Jr on March 26.
