McGregor says he is 'heartbroken' over Portuguese man's death

McGregor (photo) mourned the death of a Portuguese fighter. Photo: Jeff Bottari/UFC

Eyewitness to the fateful fight that resulted in the death of Portuguese fighter João Carvalho, the UFC featherweight champion, Conor McGregor, stated that he is “heartbroken” by the events of the beginning of the week.

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On Saturday (9), McGregor was present at the Total Extreme Fighting event, in Dublin, Ireland. At the time, the Ultimate star accompanied his training partner Charlie Ward, who faced Carvalho that night. Ward won by technical knockout in the third round, and, around 20 minutes after the fight, the Portuguese was taken to the hospital with headaches.

Carvalho was hospitalized for 48 hours in serious condition, including undergoing brain surgery. However, on Monday night, he did not survive and ended up passing away at the age of 28.

McGregor took to his Facebook account to show all his regret and solidarity with those close to Carvalho for what happened. “To see a young man, who did what he loved, competing for the chance at a better life, only to have his life taken away, is truly heartbreaking. We are just men and women doing something we love, hoping to make a better life for ourselves and our families. Nobody involved in combat sports wants to see that. It’s a rare event that I don’t even know how to absorb,” wrote the UFC champion.

“I was ringside to support my team partner, and the fight was back and forth. That's why I can't understand. My condolences go out to João's family and team. Their man was a tremendous fighter and will be missed by us all,” continued McGregor.

Check out McGregor's full statement:

Terrible news about João Carvalho. To see a young man, who was doing what he loves, competing for the chance at a better life, only to have his life taken away, is truly heartbreaking. We are just men and women doing something we love, hoping to make a better life for ourselves and our families. Nobody involved in combat sports wants to see that. It's a rare event that I don't even know how to absorb. 

I was ringside to support my team partner, and the fight was back and forth. That's why I can't understand. My condolences go out to João's family and team. Their man was a tremendous fighter and will be missed by all of us.

Combat sports are crazy. And with these recent developments in boxing and MMA, it's a sad time to be a fighter and a fight fan. It's easy for those on the outside to criticize our way of life, but for millions of people around the world who have had better lives thanks to the struggle, this is a difficult event to swallow. We lost one of us. I hope that João is remembered as a champion, who pursued his dream by doing what he loved, and that we show the eternal respect and admiration that he deserves. Rest in peace, John.

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