MMA Fighter Isaac Johnson Dead at 31 After Injury During Match In Chicago

MMA fighter Isaac Johnson has died after he was injured during his boxing match on Friday, November 21. He was 31.

Johnson was competing at the Matador Fighter Challenge at Cicero Stadium in Illinois against Corey Newell when he collapsed towards the end of the third and final round.

A town spokesperson told NBC 5 Chicago that an ambulance was called at 8:38 p.m. CT to transport an injured fighter to Loyola University Medical Center. He died a few hours later, at 12:01 a.m. CT, according to multiple outlets.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office told the outlet that an autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death. Cicero police are also investigating the incident.

The fight’s promoter, Joe Goytia, confirmed to The Athletic that it was Johnson’s first-ever Thai boxing match, referring to the combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps and various clinching techniques.

Goytia wrote a Facebook post after the incident, saying he doesn’t “have the words to express how I feel right now.”

“This is a post I hoped to never make, last night one of the fighters in our event Isaac Johnson collapsed towards [the] end of his fight,” he said. “Medical attention was given by medical staff on hand and he was transported to hospital. I was then informed at around 130 am this morning that he didn’t make it.”

He continued: “I don’t have the words to express how I feel right now, all I can say is my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and teammates. We will know more as the medical report is released.”

Goytia also confirmed that Johnson passed the required physical before the bout.

“I’m still processing this. I just don’t know,” Goytia told The Athletic on Saturday, November 22. “I never in a thousand years (thought) this would have happened.”