News UPDATE: Justin Thornton who was brutally KO'd at BKFC 20 last August has passed away

[moosaev]

Sometimes I wonder if it's better that he passed vs. an existence similar to Prichard Colon or Magomed Abdusalamov. To me living in a diminished capacity would somehow be worse. Feel bad for the family.

 

[DebtCollectorMMA]

Rip to both Justin and Bare Knuckle combat

Gloves are necessary.

 

[CorninginChristianburg]

It's a different type of boxing but it's still boxing, and boxing is the art of two people picking up brain damage in a sport with artificial rules that don't in any way reflect actual fights. I wish the best for his family.

People who continue to be dumb enough to participate in that activity...I have only sympathy.

 

[CorninginChristianburg]

Rip to both Justin and Bare Knuckle combat

Gloves are necessary.

There's absolutely no shortage of deaths with the gloves, the lack of gloves isn't the problem, the meaninglessness of the activity is.

 

[Sausage_Carius]

Sad.

This is eventually going to happen in the UFC as well. I think they are well prepared to worm themselves out of it too.

 

[Satan's Daddy.]

I hope bkfc finds a way to help his family financially for eternity because of this incident and his death. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Coastal-Redwood]

His opponent's shirt before the fight

Holy shit! That's some self prophesying Law of Attraction at its finest.

 

[Poatan Power]

Im only commenting because I watched the fight, how this guy, with I believe an 8-16 record, 5 fight losing streak, who already lost to the same guy,...if you watched his movement, from the bell, which was awful,...how could he get sanctioned to fight when the odds were all against him, before he even fought.

this was my initial reaction. But to be fair this was a freak injury. He got KO’ed and the way he fell looks like it is probably the culprit of the injury. I don’t know that his sanctioning or record preempted that in any causal way.

he was obviously capable of fighting, imho. I don’t think this falls on any governing body.

so fucking sad though

 

[Derbemag]

That Bare Knuckle shit should be banned. That shit isn't a sport, competitive or even fun.

 

[Axe720]

Sad. RIP.

 

[JSN]

Fighters started putting on gloves to increase action not for safety. Fighters throw more punches and harder punches wearing gloves. In bare knuckle fighters are more cautious and pick shots more because of hand breaks.

I agree that the aesthetics are are worse in bare knuckle fighters with the more cuts and blood but in terms of what's going on inside the body more damage is done in gloves.

This is true if you compare the real sport of bare knuckle boxing, but Irish travelers are pretty much the only ones who’ve kept that actual sport alive. They’re constantly finding angles and rarely throwing full power unless they have a perfect body shot lined up.

BKFC mostly hires mma fighters and boxers who are past their prime, and consequently these dudes are throwing just like they did in the other sports.

 

[The-AxeMurderer]

Damn man R.I.P.

Watching this fight they cut away from him right away after the KO, he was out for a long while.

You just knew something was seriously wrong.

 

[ironfist05]

That Bare Knuckle shit should be banned. That shit isn't a sport, competitive or even fun.

I honestly don't know how differently this would have played out had they had proper gloves or not but generally I agree. That stuff is uncompetitive spectacle and this fight never should have been cleared to begin with. I hope they investigate BKFC for this and shut htem down if possible. This shit shouldn't be sanctioned.

 

[Poatan Power]

I honestly don't know how differently this would have played out had they had proper gloves or not but generally I agree. That stuff is uncompetitive spectacle and this fight never should have been cleared to begin with. I hope they investigate BKFC for this and shut htem down if possible. This shit shouldn't be sanctioned.

I think this is a pretty big overreaction. The death deserves the utmost diligence but I'd say 1. I don't think lack of gloves resulted in a fractured spine or spinal inflammation, but the fall likely did and 2. fights like these are sanctioned all the time in lower tier MMA organizations. Guys who are 1-15 getting a payday and getting tapped or knocked out, etc.

I agree that the fights should not be uncompetitive or spectacles, but right now I'd say it's like 50-50 that way.

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

I honestly don't know how differently this would have played out had they had proper gloves or not but generally I agree. That stuff is uncompetitive spectacle and this fight never should have been cleared to begin with. I hope they investigate BKFC for this and shut htem down if possible. This shit shouldn't be sanctioned.

It feels like this is the case here. I don't think this was sanctioned right? I guess this is why they have athletic commissions

 

[ironfist05]

I think this is a pretty big overreaction. The death deserves the utmost diligence but I'd say 1. I don't think lack of gloves resulted in a fractured spine or spinal inflammation, but the fall likely did and 2. fights like these are sanctioned all the time in lower tier MMA organizations. Guys who are 1-15 getting a payday and getting tapped or knocked out, etc.

I agree that the fights should not be uncompetitive or spectacles, but right now I'd say it's like 50-50 that way.

I guess I should be clearer. I'm not sure what the medical ups and downs of bare knuckle is and I'll leave that to do the doctors. But BKFC should absolutely be investigated. IIRC that fight was obviously one sided in terms of the fighters fitness, weight and training.

 

[SirRealKiller]

BKFC should be held partially responsible for this. If you look at the size, fitness and record difference there's simply no reason to sanction this fight. The guy was a sacrificial lamb from the beginning. No, they probably didn't think he'd die but they had to know that he was probably going to get his ass kicked.

 

[RonMachineGunJhun]

I get why braddahs are doing it. I am not a fan of bkfc though. I dont like the match making. I dont think guys like Thornton or even Barone should have ever had fights booked. Even with Lebens history and the shots he has taken. I have not followed it to much but whats the deal with any athletic commission sanctioning these events. Are they on tribal land?

 

[Pakman]

I get why braddahs are doing it. I am not a fan of bkfc though. I dont like the match making. I dont think guys like Thornton or even Barone should have ever had fights booked. Even with Lebens history and the shots he has taken. I have not followed it to much but whats the deal with any athletic commission sanctioning these events. Are they on tribal land?

i know they operate here in FL, who's commission is awful to begin with, but I think some are held on Seminole properties (I know plenty of MMA has been held at the hard rock in Hollywood)

 

[Lars6]

RIP
Condolences to his family.