Rookie Fighter Michael Kirkham Dies Following MMA Fight in South Carolina
by Nate Wilcox on Jun 28, 2010 5:49 PM EDT
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Sad news from WRDW in Augusta Georgia:
Michael Kirkham, 30 years old, from Gaston, SC died this morning as a result of a head injury during his MMA event at USC Aiken Saturday. He was pronounced dead this morning at Aiken Regional Medical Center.
Kirkham was transported to Aiken Regional Medical Center after he was struck several times in the head. He was unresponsive when transported and never regained consciousness. He died of a brain hemorrhage.
This was Kirkham's first professional match. He had fought in MMA events 6 times previously as an amateur.
More from MMA Fighting:
Kirkham, a lightweight nicknamed "Tree" for towering at 6-feet-9, was 30.
Kirkham competed on a Dash Entertainment and King MMA co-promoted "Confrontation at the Convocation Center" event at the USC Aiken Convocation Center, a card regulated by the South Carolina Athletic Commission.
"Obviously our thoughts and prayers are with his family, other than that I have no comment," Sam King, a promoter of Saturday's card, told MMAFighting.com.
...Kirkham was the captain of his own MMA team and according to his "Fayetteville Independents" teammate John Yox's Facebook page, had "severe bleeding in the brain" and had been kept alive with the help of a machine. A message left on Yox's voicemail was unreturned.
The South Carolina Athletic Commission requires that all boxers and MMA fighters submit an original or certified lab report indicating that the competitor is HIV, Hepatitis B and C negative. Also, the fighter must complete an ophthalmologic (eye) exam as well as a physical by a doctor.
This is tragic news and Bloody Elbow sends our sincere condolences to Michael's family and friends.
Kirkham becomes the second fighter to die in regulated MMA competition after Houston's Sammy Vasquez. As our own Luke Thomas wrote at the time:
The inevitability of death or serious injury in combat athletics does not absolve those responsible for safety from self-examination. We cannot simply say, "Well, we knew this was coming. Let's move on. Nothing to see here, folks." At every interval of tragedy, we must try to make sense of the loss to see how it can be prevented going forward. It may turn out that Vasquez's death signifies nothing meaningful about the screens he ostensibly passed, but if one believes in "fighter safety first" then getting expert opinion on potential shortcomings or improvements seems beyond appropriate. This sport has in part created a rules system that developed from a guess-and-check method. When a situation goes horribly wrong, I find it hardly controversial to suggest that we not brush this issue aside and reevaluate what it is that we're doing to ensure fighter safety.
It is of the utmost importance that the Kirkham case be thoroughly investigated and discussed so that we can do everything possible to prevent and minimize tragedies.
MMA is inherently dangerous and there will be accidents and injuries, and yes, sadly, deaths. But we owe it to Kirkham and to get to the bottom of what happened and do what we can to improve fighter safety.
More in the full entry.
Rest in peace Michael.
Here's a photo of Michael from the Fayetteville Independents site:
Here's video of one of his amateur fights, HT MMA Fighting:
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A reader on 4real was at the event
Said Kirkham basically died in the cage, whereas Vasquez was in a coma.
At 6’9" tall, this dude should not have been fighting at lightweight.
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 4:39 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Did he say if it was a late stoppage?
"We are entering the last phases of the Farewell Fedor tour, and I, for one, am looking forward to the future." - subo -
I’m hoping someone, somewhere has video of this. Not for morbid purposes, obviously, but to see precisely what happened.
Follow me on Twitter: @MMANation.
workin on that
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Our attendee said what likely put Kirkham out was a slam that came down on the back of his head and neck before the GnP shots
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Tiger Drivers haven't been used for a while.
Even when pulled out, the uki’s ukimi must be Crisp and impeccable.
"Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment."
-Lao Tzu
This is what I've worried about
if getting dropped on his head was indeed the cause of this. No one ever gets penalized for slamming an opponent on his head and its looking like a tragedy has to happen before the rules are clearly defined and enforced.
sometimes
people are going to get injured and yes, die, from perfectly legal moves.
Happens in football and boxing all the time. We’re going to have to accept the real possibility of death in MMA.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
It’s amazing (and encouraging) how little it’s happened thus far. I mean, I think more people die from marathons
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Absolutely.
A LOT of people die from marathons every year. Shit, just a couple days ago someone died here in philly during a tri-athlon.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20100628_Body_of_drowned_triathlete_recovered.html
Hell
The first person to run one died. Or at least the person who inspired them.
Deaths from injuries caused during a football game are quite rare. More people die during training. (heat stroke, asthma)
Also, most deaths in boxing happen after 10-12 rounds of beating on a guy who refuses to go down.
Rarely do you hear of a short fight resulting in death, one violent concussive blow is not as damaging as 500+ punches to the head.
In this case it seems like an extremely violent blow to the head combined with a guy who’s body may have been to fragile to absorb it.
by Electro Boy on Jun 28, 2010 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Broken necks are pretty common. Poor tackling can lead to deaths or paralysis. Before every football season our coach would make us watch videos on how to tackle with footage of people breaking their necks and some dyeing. Heat strokes\Heart attacks happen more often on the higher levels of play (college and Pro’s), but it does happen.
There would be more deaths and paralysis if not for new medicine applied at the scene to reduce swelling.
I get more rec's then a Toyota!
there have been hundreds if not thousands of deaths in football competition in the US
in the last 50 years
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
It’s hard to compare that to mma though – maybe tens of millions of Americans played football in the last 50 years , much much less had done mma .
Also – many deaths are a result of a different problem (inherent heart problems for example) or just abusing the game (playing during heat , unprotected , etc) .
You need to compare mma deaths that happened while the rules and regulations were obeyed to football deaths of the same conditions.
My point is – you can’t say that football is dangerous if you count deaths of highschool kids with heart problems or who played during scorching heat and didn’t drink all day . That would be like getting totally drunk and then driving and dying and say that driving is dangerous…
Yes, mostly at the High School and College levels
but it has occurred plenty of times in the NFL as well.
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Also please check out SBnation's Red Bulls blog @ www.onceametro.com
by Matthew Roth on Jun 28, 2010 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I was a huge football fan
I don’t remember any deaths happening on the field during the game.
I especially don’t remember it happening “plenty of times”.
You guys are drastically exaggerating deaths in football.
Yeah
There haven’t been many during games in the NFL. I know there’s been at least one. Several players have died in the NFL during practice.
In college a few have died on the field and several during practices.
In high school several have died on the field and even more during practices.
"Daydreams of a 'fair' world which would treat him according to his 'real worth' are the refuge of all those plagued by a lack of self-knowledge." -- Ludwig von Mises.
Did some research
Former NFL defensive lineman Al Lucas died Sunday from a presumed spinal cord injury sustained while trying to make a tackle for the Los Angeles Avengers during an Arena Football League game, the team said.
That was 4/10/2005
Detroit Lions receiver Chuck Hughes died of a heart attack during a game on Oct. 24, 1971. Hughes entered the game late in the fourth quarter and ran a deep route over the middle. As he headed back to the huddle, he collapsed. Team doctor Richard Thompson tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate Hughes on the field and the game was finished in silence.
In 1963, Kansas City rookie running back Stone Johnson died 10 days after he broke his neck in an exhibition game against the Houston Oilers. In the game played at Wichita, Johnson was hurt while blocking on a kickoff return.
In 1960, New York Titans tackle Howard Glenn injured his neck during a play in the first half and died soon afterward.
Washington Redskins tackle Dave Sparks and Chicago Cardinals tackle Stan Mauldin died of heart attacks after games. Sparks died in 1954 three hours after a game, while Mauldin collapsed in the locker room in 1948.
The NFL cases are very old and it hasn’t happened in quite some time. Three of those were heart attacks, which probably weren’t directly caused by anything that happened during the game, they just had heart attacks.
come down south
and watch the boys practice in full pads during that August heat
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep
It’s very common place in GA/TX…because of the competition to start, the heat, and the practices that take place with the leagues being super competitive.
Follow me on twitter @thisredengine
Also please check out SBnation's Red Bulls blog @ www.onceametro.com
by Matthew Roth on Jun 28, 2010 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Our high school FB coach was fired a couple years back for running 4-hour practices in the middle of the day
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s not too bad. I remember 4 hr practices in the middle of the Louisiana summer, but I’m 8 years removed from high school so things could’ve changed.
I get more rec's then a Toyota!
Never been to Louisiana during the summer. It’s the humidity here that’s so bad
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
95-Deg heat, 95% humidity.
I saw a young girl (middle-school age) having a heat stroke at soccer camp.
If you're not watching Treme, you're a bad person.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 28, 2010 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions
that's the way it is here
Some mornings I’m out on the links and can only play the front nine… Granted, I’m in disgusting shape for a 20yr old
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Hell Yeah
New Orleans boy here — people think they know what hot is, but until you’ve done a 4 hour wrestling practice in a 110 -115 degree wrestling room with 100+% humidity (supersaturated air) in the middle of the summer in New Orleans, you’ve no idea. I was in Gulf War I and it hit 130 degrees more than once out there and we were in full BDUs and flak jacket and kevlar helmet, and it was no big deal for us Louisiana boys.
"Daydreams of a 'fair' world which would treat him according to his 'real worth' are the refuge of all those plagued by a lack of self-knowledge." -- Ludwig von Mises.
That’s insane, I mean the heat right now in Jersey is ridiculous, can’t imagine how it is in Atlanta. August is gonna be brutal. Hoping coaches up here make smart decisions about practices.
Follow me on twitter @thisredengine
Also please check out SBnation's Red Bulls blog @ www.onceametro.com
by Matthew Roth on Jun 28, 2010 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions
The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research
The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research collects and disseminates death and permanent disability sports injury data that involve brain and/or spinal cord injuries. The research is funded by a grant from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the American Football Coaches Association, and the National Federation of State High School Associations. This research has been conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 1965. Each year three annual reports are compiled.
by Johnathan Willis on Jun 29, 2010 7:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Fighters should train breakfalls consistently.
People are tossed in ways that would land them on their heads all the time in judo, but they know how to take the fall. I don’t think anyone has died from a throw in recent history.
The Randleplex is the most obvious example.
If Fedor didn’t know breakfalls, would he be alive today, or have movement in all limbs?
If you're not watching Treme, you're a bad person.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 28, 2010 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Said the fight lasted less than a minute, the other fighter got a takedown and landed a few punches but it wasn’t a late stoppage by any means.
Said Kirkham was disgustingly thin
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions
That's what worried me when I first saw this story.
6’9" and fighting at 155? My first instinct is to assume he’s cutting a ton of water which makes trauma to the brain way more likely/severe, and it’s not a huge leap to assume he’s malnourished. I hope nobody takes this as me bagging on the guy, but it seems like a very risky scenario he put himself into. It’s tragic that it ended the way it did.
I hope that commissions and fighters each learn something from this that improves the safety of the sport.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Jun 28, 2010 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Just saw several similar comments below...
Nate, please hide my comments if you find it fit. I’ve offered nothing new here and didn’t see your repeated requests to avoid the exact speculation I was posting. My bad, posting before reading.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
seriously. there is no way ANYONE can possibly be a healthy 6'9" 130 lbs under any circumstances
At USC we're not snobs, we're just better than you.
yeah that was a mistype. but even if you arent fighting and your just a freaking mailman, that isnt ok.
At USC we're not snobs, we're just better than you.
HORRIBLE news for the sport.....
So much will be put under the microscope…..
Weight cutting, slams (powerbombs) on the back of the neck, legal vs illegal moves etc.
Tons of possibility for controversy here.
I wonder if anyone was looking out for his health? His team etc? Doctors in SC.
Comments like these immediately after tragic events always irk me.
It’s like people only care about the well-being of the sport/activity they love than the fact that a human being died. I’m not accusing either of you or truck of that but I’m sure there are fans out there with that type of mentality.
R.I.P. Kirkham.
These aren't issues you'd like to see addressed?
Sometimes it takes a tragedy before regulators are willing to sit down and address the inherent dangers of mma and clarify the rules. I’ve been to way too many small mma shows where the fighters have little training and have no business being in the cage. I’ve seen a guy nearly paralyzed from a back suplex because he didn’t know how to fall. I’ve seen another guy break his shoulder and nearly break his spine from a slam take down. I’ve seen guys cut from 180+ to 155 in a matter of days to make weight.
"The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world..."
that's correct
though I don’t know anything about his personal health, being 6"9 and 155 lbs, it seems he would have very little muscle density. I mean jeez he was all bones. Nonetheless, this should never have happened, and my condolences go out to his family.
by Body Triangle on Jun 29, 2010 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Also
Kelvin said SC just got an athletic commission last year
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
nah, it was lightweight
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions
We need everything.
Video would be nice, if only to establish whether or not the Unified Rules were obeyed, but we need his medical history, any pre-fight testing that was done, everything. I feel like this may have been a Thiago Alves-type of situation that was not identified before the fight, and if so, the athletic commission is the sole source of blame.
We need everything to find out what happened here, for the sake of Michael Kirkham, his opponent, their families, and the sport, and we need to do everything we can to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Fightlinker.com
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 28, 2010 4:45 PM EDT reply actions
There's no way...
to “prevent” death in MMA. But you’re right that we need a lot more information to figure out exactly what happened.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 28, 2010 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions
no way to prevent unforseen circumstances that lead to death
but like a poster said earlier, people are learning in the sport. If this was a pre-existing condition that could have been caught by the athletic commission, that would be something to think about. If it was just a fluke or an injury caused under the normal rules well…there’s no way to prevent that.
I know a typical response to death is to search for meaning, and if it turns out that he just died as a result of practicing the sport in healthy condition (which i can’t imagine he was at 6"9 155, but i have no record of his personal health)
by Body Triangle on Jun 29, 2010 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions
what them said
if he was 6’9" and 155, that’s practically a cause of death in and of itself.
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on Jun 28, 2010 4:45 PM EDT reply actions
right you are
I regretted posting that as soon as I saw it go up. It still sounds unhealthily skinny to me, though.
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on Jun 28, 2010 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions
jesus
Think about that, 6’9 and lightweight. Corey Hill’s leg shattered and people were appalled that he was 6’4 and fighting at lightweight. This doesn’t even make sense.
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by Brian Hemminger on Jun 28, 2010 4:47 PM EDT reply actions
This is just specualtion
but I’m pretty confident this is a result of severe dehydration. Not to mention him being dangerously thin. He must have been extremely emaciated to weigh 155. No protection to cushion his brain and body. How long and thin was his neck?
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 28, 2010 4:50 PM EDT reply actions
I think people should stay away from comments about his height and size until the medical examiner determines the cause of the brain bleeding, some of these comments have been a bit harsh in reference to the departed.
Even when I'm laying on my back I'm never backing down
by Austin Martin on Jun 28, 2010 4:53 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I know it's speculation
But I just keep thinking about how Overeem, at 6’ 5", was pissing blood to make 205
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m thinking the guy was naturally really thin. It’s not really a fair to compare him to Overeem since reem seemed to have a naturally huge frame
Same. My previously stated 6’4, 135lbs friend doesn’t cut weight to get there. He’s just got a freakishly fast metabolism. We don’t know if he cut weight or not, but this Michael guy certainly looks like he’s just built tall and skinny, and fights without cutting weight.
From all reports she (Cyborg) pretty much only spars men, and has been known to put some out during training. - Rudinho479
by Kaleb Kelchner on Jun 28, 2010 5:12 PM EDT up reply actions
wow!
that’s crazy- does he have to watch his diet as well? there’s got to be like 0% bodyfat on him. I ask only because I’m 6"4 myself, and weigh 205. With diet and exercise, I’ve been able to bump down to 190 before (I’m a muscular guy, and am the owner of an incredibly slow metabolism). I’ve got a buddy who is all bones, about 6"7, and weighs in at 175. That just boggles my mind.
by Body Triangle on Jun 29, 2010 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Do you think its a coincidence the man was so incredibly thin?
I am 5’ 9" 155 lbs. I am a skinny person. There is no way anybody can be safe and healthy at that height and weight. Don’t believe me? Ask any doctor, trainer, nutritionists etc. Even according to the BMI he is very underweight. There is a high risk for injury just walking around that thin, let alone fighting professionally. Just not enough muscle to support joints and not enough soft tissue to protect his organs. Couple that with severe dehydration and you have a tragedy.
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 28, 2010 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
lets
wait until we know the circumstances more before making absolute categorical statements
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
True.
Anything could have happened. We don’t know yet.
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 28, 2010 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Just to clarify
I was trying to look at his weight strictly from a medical point of view, from the few details we do know. Not to be dick, because I enjoy this place and don’t want to be banned, but my comment was very objective and factually correct.
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 28, 2010 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions
there was a hanggliding death this weekend in Texas
so let’s not get carried away. Sometimes bad things happen when people do dangerous things. Football, boxing, even basketball have all had deaths in competition.
here’s the hangglider story
We need to do everything we can to prevent deaths but also must acknowledge that it can happen despite all precautions.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on Jun 28, 2010 4:53 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
People are overly watching for it in MMA
because of it’s potential growth and how so many people still see it. Boxing deaths occur but it’s been around forever. Football deaths occur but it’s been around forever. Disgustingly enough, those sports get free passes. It’s horrible to even type that. MMA will not be looked on as kindly for this. So tragic.
RIP to the departed.
Forget it Donny, you're out of your element.
At the same time...
it is our fault as fans as much as anything that people who dislike the sport are “waiting” for these kind of tragedies. We spend so much time talking about how safe our sport is and constantly bringing up the lack of deaths that we’re basically begging for people to give us a lecture when it does happen.
I’m just trying to say I wish we (and I’m guilty of this as well) weren’t all so cavalier about dismissing the possibility that deaths can happen in MMA>
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 28, 2010 9:35 PM EDT up reply actions
The way I look at it, and I look at life as a whole this way, is that death can happen anywhere, anytime, doing anything.
Everybody who gets in a cage and fights knows the potential risks of it. The same goes for every sport. A pitcher in baseball knows that it’s possible that he might get hit in the head with a ball and he could be gone or never the same again.
Hell, more people die from car accidents then damn near anything else in this world. Yet, everyday we all get into our cars. We know the risks. We know what might happen. We do everything we can to make cars safer for if there is a crash and I hope everyone is doing everything they can to make MMA safer for the people who choose to fight but the fact is that all these guys are doing it because they want to do it. As long as it was there decision to do it AND they knew the risks…then I don’t think the sport as a whole should suffer for it.
Forget it Donny, you're out of your element.
by Geno Mrosko on Jun 28, 2010 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions
We may know the risks, but do we really understand them?
To compare the dangers of mma to the danger of pitching or getting into a car is ridiculous. Sure, I could die or get seriously injured doing any of them, but if my hobbies are mma, hang gliding, mountain climbing, repelling, race car driving, and full contact football, the odds of my getting seriously injured or dying are much higher than they otherwise would be.
Sure, I may get into my car and die in an accident today, but I don’t expect it to happen. The probability is pretty low. If I suit up in football, I may expect to get banged up, but I don’t actually expect head trauma. If I’m a pitcher, you really think I expect to take a line drive to the face? It happens so rarely and is such a remote possibility, to think of it would be a waste of time
The issue is that people taking part in these dangerous activities don’t really understand the risks. Having fought, I didn’t expect to leave the cage with serious injuries. I knew it was possible, I’d seen it happen, but I couldn’t imagine that being me. Most people don’t think about it. People want to test their skills (or just fight) and don’t think much of it.
This is where the regulators must step in and do everything they can to protect the fighters threw assigning competent referees to requiring strict medical screenings. A serious problem with mma (and boxing to a certain extent) is that most of the amateurs and lower level pros are grossly mismatched. I shudder whenever I see two amateur fighters, one a collegiate wrestling standout and the other a kid off the street with no training. Although there are relatively few deaths in mma, there are a ton of injuries, from broken hands, wrists, legs, shoulders, face bones, etc. These types of injuries occur regularly across the mma landscape. Fewer of them would occur if the regulations keep improving.
"The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world..."
Through, not threw, grammar fail.
"The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world..."
Comprehension fail as well.
You admitted in your reply that you knew the risks. That’s the point. If you know the risk and you still do it then you need to be prepared for what could happen.
Forget it Donny, you're out of your element.
I wouldn't go that far
I understand your point, and I agreed that I knew the risks, but truly understanding them is a completely different story. I don’t think your analogy about driving and getting beaned by a baseball works when relating to potential for serious injury as an mma fighter. It seems as though the football players I know understand that they’ll take some punishment. My point was that many mma fighters I’ve seen and know don’t truly understand the risks inherent in our sport until something serious happens. They expect some black eyes, maybe some bruises, but they seem shocked when their legs/arms/ribs/etc get broken. Death will happen as well to some (luckily not nearly as many as potentially could have).
This, then, is where I think regulation is the only means of protecting the fighters, especially the ones that do it for “fun” and really don’t know what they’re getting themselves into.
"The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world..."
Further
I do understand the risks inherent in the game, which is why I stepped away and don’t fight anymore. The risks such as broken bones, concussions, long-term brain injury(which will be noticeable for many as the years pass) far outweigh the potential benefits (local notoriety, crappy paydays, a sense of triumph following a win, etc.) For those who truly enjoy fighting, more power to them. Again, I think this is where tighter regulation of the mma game (not allowing unprepared fighters to fight in professional fights without pads, clarifying the rules) is necessary.
"The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world..."
At my high school, a kid died on-court during a basketball game. I went to a wealthy private school, though, so several players’ parents were doctors, and they revived him. It’s such a remote school, though, the ambulance couldn’t find it – special road signs were installed next week.
If you're not watching Treme, you're a bad person.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 28, 2010 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions
At my high school, a kid died on-court during a basketball game. I went to a wealthy private school, though, so several players’ parents were doctors, and they revived him. It’s such a remote school, though, the ambulance couldn’t find it – special road signs were installed next week.
If you're not watching Treme, you're a bad person.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 28, 2010 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Seeing comment reactions on some of the non mma sites this story is on has been pretty disheartening though.
I don't even want to imagine.
People can be so disrespectful, callous and downright loathsome. Especially when they don’t know or care about those involved(which is always).
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 28, 2010 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions
didn't even think of that.
that would be a horrible experience.
by Body Triangle on Jun 29, 2010 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Have a looksee for yourself
From what I’ve gathered, I believe this was his last amateur fight in April:
.
Condolences to the Kirkham family.
"Even the Swedes are getting mad."-Randy Hahn
"It's very cozy in the sin bin."-Randy Hahn
I’ve got a friend who is 6’4 and 135. He’s skin, bone, and abs. I’m guessing this guy was similarly built, not starved and dehydrated.
Sounds like this could bring up a good chance to get slams in MMA looked at, if the slam was all that caused the real damage.
This is truly a shame though, and again, I hope everyone involved gets the love and comfort they need.
From all reports she (Cyborg) pretty much only spars men, and has been known to put some out during training. - Rudinho479
6’9" and 155!!! how can that not be considered when lisencing this fighter?!
i dont think new jersey or nevada would have signed off on this fight
i dont know if this played a part but the guys body must have been super weak and unable to handle the slightest trauma, How the fuck does the athletic commission let and underweight (healthwise) fighter CUT WEIGHT!!!!
THIS IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE AND HEADS NEED TO ROLL FOR THIS, I AM DISGUSTED WITH THIS NEWS AND THE SC ATHLETIC COMMISSION (which im hearing just got started)!!!
easy tiger...
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions
As much as I love BE it irks me that people can’t speak their mind and are threatened with bans constantly, I’m starting to dislike that about BE.
It’s a legitimate claim about Kirkham’s height and weight, medically it is not healthy. We do need to hear more facts but people should be able give their opinion, even if it isn’t entirely correct.
It’s just out of respect for the Fam.
Trust me, they want to know a hell of a lot more than you do.
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 28, 2010 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly…not sure why this is weird for people. And Nate just asked repeatedly for people to cut back on weight comments, especially of a hostile nature, not like he started swinging the ban hammer right out the gate.
From all reports she (Cyborg) pretty much only spars men, and has been known to put some out during training. - Rudinho479
by Kaleb Kelchner on Jun 28, 2010 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
there are hundreds of places to go
to have unfiltered discussions about MMA. personally i don’t care to go to most of those places much.
We made a choice to have a community that abides by certain rules and modes of decorum so we can have relatively polite and informative discussions.
This will not change. You are free to go elsewhere, I hear that racist remarks and name calling are celebrated at many other sites.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Yeh I am free to go elsewhere thanks for pointing that out, but not to celebrate racist comments, why would you even mention something like that – that’s ridiculous. There’s racism and trolling like at MMAfighting.com and I’m very grateful that doesn’t go on here. But then there’s genuine people being warned for giving their opinion. As you can see the people who have been warned (about the weight comments) are almost scared of being banned, seriously, that’s just not right.
Ilias
This really isn’t the time or the place for the comments / free-speech debate, what happened is a legitimate tragedy and deserves a fair measure more reverence than starting a quabble about the ban stick.
The gut response of folks to react defensively and cast speculative blame on commissions or weight-cutting or any number of reassuring eventualities is understandable, I think everyone sees this headline and fears what it spells for the perception of MMA.
But John McCain doesn’t read this site, we’re all on the same side, and it does nobody any good to jump to conclusions that essentially discredit or marginalize Michael Kirkham so we can get back to safely feeling nothing tragic happens under perfectly normal conditions in this sport. It’s not fair to the man’s memory, and it makes everybody look bad to do such a thing while the facts have yet to surface.
So yeah, they should be telling folks to shut up.
by LBo on Jun 28, 2010 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
This really isn’t the time or the place for the comments / free-speech debate
Yeh, your right. I’m sorry.
thanks
and we keep the ban hammer a little arbtrary so folks have some fear of God and don’t get complacent and asinine. This is a lion cage. We’re lion tamers.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on Jun 29, 2010 7:46 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
that was...a pretty badass way to put it.
makes me feel badass too.
by Body Triangle on Jun 29, 2010 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions
It's like we all got a little more badass just now.
by Brandon Starr on Jun 29, 2010 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions
The issue isn’t with speaking opinions. It’s with stating that the height and weight HAD to have had something to do with the death and that people in SC should be held responsible. It’s possible the guy had a freakish metabolism where he naturally walks around at 170ish pounds and cut 15 pounds (pretty standard) to fight. If he checked out healthy in the physical exam he’d be put in the cage anywhere in the U.S.
It very well MAY have been his height and weight that contributed to the situation. I think it’s perfectly fair to wonder, but it is out of line to state it as fact and demand blood for a situation we don’t yet understand.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 28, 2010 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions
it’s been said a million times though
a discussion isn’t much of a discussion if everyones saying the same thing
i’m not arguing or trying to be disrespectful but you just said what everyone else has already said.
btw. i always speak my mind and i’ve never been threatened to be banned
by Johnathan Willis on Jun 29, 2010 7:20 AM EDT up reply actions
sorry, i dont mean to break the rules but this news really upset me. If you go to a Body Mass Index Calculator online, you will see the guy was not healthy to begin with.
Please don’t ban me, your website helps me get through work without going insane!!
no worries
it’s a reasonable line of thought, i just don’t want everyone jumping to conclusions without knowing the facts.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Despite how you feel about his height and weight
everyone should be supportive of his family and friends. My condolences to them.
Condolences to his family
Crazy that a guy that tall fighting at lightweight, the video above, he is all body and legs, no mass whatsoever.
I told you not to f*ck with me.
RIP. Sad to see it happen.
But 6’9" and fighting at Lightweight? That is very unhealthy. I don’t know how he got cleared?
Slow Cooking! MMM-MMM GOOD!
"I Wanna Thank Joe Rogan!" - BJ Penn
One would assume...
that he passed he physical. That’s really all there is to getting in a cage in any state. You have to pass a physical which tests blood pressure, reflexes, ocular response, heart strength (and rate), etc. If he passed that physical…he would get cleared.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 28, 2010 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Tragic news
I do believe that MMA is safe under the unified rules but as the sport expands around the world, it does worry me that the most ‘free’ of combat sports can result in tragedies like this. It’s really hard to accept that this could easily happen again.
Sorry to hear. Tragic for all involved.
I would be interested to hear from the ppl involved in promoting and regulating the fight. I wont jump to any conclusions, but I am sure I would be uncomfortable watching a person of that stature compete at such a light weight. Too me that just seems wrong .
About a zillion comments are bouncing through my mind right now , but I don’t wanna get in trouble. This really does raise some questions.
Condolences to everyone involved . I would hope some good eventually comes from this tragedy. It is sure to raise plenty of discussion around here.
Condolences to his family and to this opponent
I couldn’t imagine what they are going through, especially his opponent. While it seems extremely unhealthy to be 6’9 and 155, that wasn’t the direct reason. The SCSC needs to resolve this quickly just so this doesn’t spin out with everyone making judgements without information.
Follow me on twitter @thisredengine
Also please check out SBnation's Red Bulls blog @ www.onceametro.com
fighterzack
Monday, Jun. 28 4:27 PMI was not there, but I heard about it from all of our guys. It was not an extreme or brutal fight, from all accounts it was just a horrible accident. Our sport is very safe, and both guys just went in and competed like they usually do. Apparently he had a blood vessel in his brain that burst, this could have happened in football, rugby, etc. I am very sorry for the fighter’s family, and for his opponent, a very good guy himself. God’s plan, not ours.
Major Bummer. Best wishes for his family and friends!!!!
Any word on his oppenent? Very difficult situation, best wishes to him as well. Exceptionally sad for everyone involved.
6-feet-9 fighting at LW What ?
I had to go back and check if I was really reading it right and if it was not a typo where it says he was 6-feet-9 and fought at LW not LHW. Something right there is very wrong. You are not going to find to many people in fighting let alone this world who are standing almost 7 feet tall fighting at only 155 pounds. That right there is very very unhealthy to begin with.
RIP
Kid Nate,
I think it is great that you are writing a respectful article about someone who is as passionate as we are about the sport. However, I think the article would be improved if you didn’t point us to a video of him getting dominated by someone named “Dirty South.” It does show us just how skinny he was, but I don’t want to see a video of him failing. That doesn’t do honor to someone.
As for the “health” debate, when I was in high school, I was 6’3" 155 with a little bit of fat to spare and perfectly healthy. Some people are just really skinny. That being said, I think that the term “health” should be put into an MMA perspective when deciding the fighter’s safety to fight. A person who is this thin is much more susceptible to neck injury than someone like Shane Carwin who has 100lbs of muscle protecting the neck. I think everyone’s points about other sports are spot on, the risk of death is often greater. I would hate to prevent someone from doing something they love, but their natural frame may not be one built for MMA. You wouldn’t drive a KIA up a mountain, you need strong 4×4 for that. Why do it in MMA?
The steps the UFC takes to protect its fighters are very strong, the question is, without the access to medical attention that UFC fighters get, can MMA be safe enough on an amateur level to be truly full contact? My guess is probably not. MMA fighters even in the UFC don’t make much money, I can’t imagine what most full contact fighters make in South Carolina.
the video is there because it's true
We’re respecting Kirkham’s memory, but we’re not trying to honor him, we are trying to tell the truth and share information. I didn’t know anything about the man so it would be false for me to try to eulogize him.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I assume most people watched the video after reading he was 6'9 155.
I wanted to see if he looked unhealthy as I assumed he would. I was wrong, he is skinny, long and wirey. His body is similiar to that of a tall long distance runner. IMO not the body of a typical MMA fighter but he obviously enjoyed it.
I do agree with B_radical that most small promotions don’t do enough to protect fighters. That said, if one is getting in the ring as a weekend warrior it’s your responsiblity to protect yourself! It’s obviously not the safest sport in the world and even if you win, injuries are pretty likely.
Very sad for his family and his opponent. Condolences to all involved.
Your last paragraph
brings up an issue that I’ve had problems with as well. The UFC is extremely careful about protecting its fighters through medical screenings, blood testing, having numerous physicians on-site at their fights, etc (the Hamill staph being an objection, but I digress). I seriously worry about the safety of amateur and low-level professional mma fighters at Buckets of Blood style small shows (I’m not making that name up). Often, they only require basic medicals (which can be faked), and match only by weight and/or win-loss records (which can be lied about). The referees are often poorly trained and in many states, the fights don’t need to be sanctioned. There are many states where I could go, file for a professional license, and get on a card with only a few weeks notice. I wouldn’t know if I was fighting a BJJ black belt/professional boxer or an 18 year old kid with 0 fights and no ability whatsoever.
That said, I don’t have a solution for the problem. I just hope that, with time, these issues can be addressed because, as mma continues to grow in popularity and influence, the greater number of fights taking place will likely mean that tragedies such as this one will happen more commonly.
"The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world..."
Sad to read and must be terrible for the family. If there was a fund to donate to that would be great for the other fighter as well. The mental scarring/damage may be life changing for him as well.
"We are entering the last phases of the Farewell Fedor tour, and I, for one, am looking forward to the future." - subo -
I think when Luke mentioned waiting for more info after autopsy is probably the best idea, but my first reaction was to wonder if scans like what Thiago had would have spotted something like this? And now seeing his weight, wondering if a drastic weight cut could have contributed to making an accident like this happen more easily?
Sad news
Reserving any opinion on the matter until I see more info.
"I have trained to fight an army. There is no way one man can stop me if many cannot." -Georges St. Pierre
Man...I live in Augusta...
Saw commercials for the event a week ago and I would’ve thought about going if it wasn’t for the Werdum/Fedor card.
Sad news.
RIP.
If Derek Jeter clubbed a baby seal on earth day while wearing a mink coat and crocodile skin boots while burning tires on an iceberg, the reaction would be "Its OK Derek, you’re a Yankee." -First mammal to wear pants
Won’t speculate about his height/weight and whether that contributed to his death.
Ask about it? Absolutely.
This is the right attitude...
I think it’s entirely fair to question what (if any) role it had in the situation. It’s just unfair to state that it was the cause as fact.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 28, 2010 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions
why does every1 keep saying his weight was unhealthy
i fight at 125 and im 6’2, im very healthy, never been in the hostpital and been running track all my life, everybodys body is built different we cant be a 6’2 adonis* some of us are 6’5 stretch armstrongs
doesnt make us unhealthy or anything, just makes us different than average
As a trainer, you should seriously consider gaining more muscle mass.
For every athlete, it is only a matter of time until you have a bad injury. The more muscle and connective tissue you have the less catastrophic it will be. That’s why in high school football they focus some much on strength training. To take collision. We should always prepare our bodies for an unforeseeable accident. Just because you have the ability to preform a certain task does not mean that it is safe or healthy. Not matter how you look at it, being very very skinny is a huge liability in MMA. Corey Hill will tell you that himself.
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 28, 2010 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Corey Hill by all accounts was a freak accident
I have no medical background, but I have seen some very built men shatter a bone on contact that pailed in comparison to the strike Hill threw.
Corey said himself that he needs more muscle.
There are some many reasons, I don’t know where to begin.
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 28, 2010 9:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for the advice mr Farnsworth,
i have been trying to gain muscle mass, up until a couple weeks ago i couldn’t, i had been trying since i was 18, im not bad skinny at all, its just the fact that putting on weight and keeping it on is virtually impossible for guys with irregularly high metabolisims believe me ive been to the hostpital countless times as a kid because i wasnt gaining weight but my son is 4ft tall and weight 39 to 45 lbs, its in the genes of my fam to be either tall and slim or short and muscular, cause my daughter is really short and really thick, so now my bodys goin thru changes and im gettin muscle mass but my weights not changing its just looking different, my ribs dont show or nothing like that only time they did was when i was so nervous for my first fight at 125 that i went down to 121-123 lol, i mean it had to be something with him no one caught, i been following this story from his friends cause we all connected on fb….but anyways my size doesnt dictate my strength and i mean im a blue belt in jiu jitsu, in my promotion test i went against guys upward 230lbs and was slammed and everything and came out fine so every person is different, there was probably something that was missed
Yep, size does not equal strength
but it does help greatly in preventing injury. You had another good point, increasing muscle mass doesn’t really mean gaining weight. I was 5’7" 140 lbs 6% body fat as a freshman in HS. At 24, I’m 5’9" 155lbs, but I look easily 30 lbs heavier. It doesn’t hurt that my body fat is around 3-4%. I blew out my left knee a few years back. Every since then: prevention, prevention, prevention. A few months back, I fished tailed on the highway and hit a wall. I just crawled out and shook it off. The doctor said my conditioning probably saved me from getting hurt badly. You don’t need me telling you to be safe, but I just worry about athletes. :)
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 28, 2010 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve article about some Olympic shot putter who was in a serious car accident. He was 6’6, 300 lbs and had only few bruises, the other passenger died from some serious damage. The doctor who examined him said that basically muscles saved his life.
"...ride life straight to perfect laughter,
it's the only good fight there is."
by dancingChicken on Jun 29, 2010 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh yeah, drink lots and lots of milk.
If you wanna gain some size. It has everything you need to MAKE you gain weight. Calcium, protein, calories. When I bulk up, I literally drink a gallon a day. Snack all day. Jerky is your best friends. Jerky and nuts. Watch your calories. Try to eat 1000 calories for breakfast. I guarantee you will see results. Not fat either. Solid mass.
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 28, 2010 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions
this should go along with the assumption
that you need to be lifting heavy as well to gain that mass, especially if you want solid muscle mass. otherwise you will gain fat- besides skim milk, if you’re drinking regular milk and eating nuts, you’re taking in a lot of fat- good fats, but fat nonetheless.
by Body Triangle on Jun 29, 2010 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I left out the lifting part
cause its kinda obvious. But even if he doesn’t lift, with a fast metabolism, he’ll still gain lean mass. Especially if he’s training MMA. Grappling burns a huge amount calories. In truth, he’s probably not getting nearly enough calories to promote muscle growth. I didn’t for years. It comes down to genetics. A person that lean often already has the genes to be very muscular. They just need the fuel. Protein is the key, high protein diets(2grams per lb of body weight) will make muscle. I like milk because the proteins in it are absorbed so well and efficiently by our bodies. They also contribute to GH production. Buffalo is another great source of bad ass aminos. But, yes, I you don’t have a fast metabolism or burn enough calories your going to get kinda fat eating that way. There are a lot of cultures with high fat diets, such as Mongolia. The people burn so many calories just living there, they have to supplement their diet with a huge amount of diary and fats. Coincidentally, Mongolians typically do very well in combat sports.
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 29, 2010 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Here's a pic of me using that diet.
In fairness, I kinda work out for a living
by B.H. Farnsworth on Jun 29, 2010 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions
God Damn It.
I’m going to tell my boss I need to start working out instead of drafting legal documents.
by Brandon Starr on Jun 29, 2010 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Pick up the book Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. It is a great book to develop a foundation of functional strength. In high school, I was 6’5" 175 pounds. I always had trouble putting on weight, but I never ate enough and my strength training sucked. I wish I had read that book when I was in highschool.
by Dropkick434 on Jun 28, 2010 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
RIP Kirkham
Horrible way to die.
"Fedor is in major trouble! FEDOR TAPS! FEDOR TAPS! FABRICIO WERDUM WINS BY SUBMISSION (TRIANGLE CHOKE), ROUND 1!" - Brent Brookhouse, BloodyElbow.com
RIP Mike...
This was a good guy. He had a fiance and a young child. My condolences go out to his family and friends. He was nowhere near 6’9" though. He was sbout 6’ 5". He didn’t cut much weight either, he walked around about 170.
The harder you work, the luckier you get.........
by The Demolition Man on Jun 28, 2010 11:56 PM EDT reply actions
This is very unfortunate to hear
I mean, the guy dying is already very unfortunate in itself of course.
Fake Emcees, we always act hard, but won't walk the streets without our bodyguards.
That’s awful. If I knew words that would mean anything, I’d type them.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Jun 29, 2010 12:04 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
youtube video's are gone
they’ve been made private
by Johnathan Willis on Jun 29, 2010 7:45 AM EDT reply actions
Why was a guy who was 6’9" fighting at lightweight???
Look at Corey Hill, he’s over 6 feet tall, fighting at lightweight, and shattered his leg. The human body cannot be that tall and that light without any ill effects – not as strong bones due to dietery restricitons, less water around the memebrane of the brain for basic natural protection – which is what possibly happened in Kirkham’s tragic case.
This needs to be added to the unified rules,athletic commissions need to impose height restrictions on weight classes, 6’9" 155 lbs?? That’s ridiclious. This is such a tragic accident.
Rest in peace, I feel very sorry for the for the friends and family of young Mr. Kirkham. Obviously he lived life to the fullest, and was a real up and comer, its amazing how he ran his own team. Its hardly a consolation – but at least he went out at the top, living and achieving what he wanted to do, which is much more than what a lot of old people even achieve.
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