Fighter is brain dead after being knocked out with an elbow in Thailand

P. Phadungchai was declared brain dead after a brutal knockout (Photo: Reproduction)

A muay thai fight held last Friday (15), in Thailand, ended in tragedy. Days after being brutally knocked out, Thai Phanphet Phadungchai was diagnosed with brain death last Monday (18).

Phanphet Phadungchai faced a French athlete known as Anthony TFC Muay Thai. In the fifth and final round of the fight, the Thai was knocked out by a devastating elbow to the jaw and hit his head hard on the canvas, causing a cerebral hemorrhage.

See too

Beneil Dariush faces Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280 in October

Ultimate sets Petr Yan x Sean O'Malley for UFC 280 in October

According to information from the Thai newspaper “Thai Rath”, the diagnosis points to the impossibility of reversing the current situation. The fighter continues to breathe with the help of mechanical ventilation, but, with the approval of his family, he no longer receives medication.

“His mother and wife gave their consent for him to stop being treated with stimulants. However, he is still using the ventilator to breathe. We are waiting for a miracle,” said a family member of Phadungchai.

Phanphet Phadungchai was part of the Thailand national Muay Thai team and won a silver medal at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games held in the Philippines.

This is not the first tragedy to occur in martial arts this year. In June, South African boxer Simiso Buthelezi he died days after “going viral” after becoming disoriented inside the ring and hitting a “phantom opponent”.