MMA fighter Joao Carvalho has died after suffering serious head injuries at a show in Dublin on Saturday night, aged 28.
Portuguese fighter Carvalho competed on the card at the Total Extreme Fighting (TEF) event at the National Stadium in the Irish capital, in which his fight with Irishman Charlie Ward was stopped by the referee in the third round.
Welterweight Carvalho was tended to immediately by medical personnel before being rushed to Beaumont Hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery on Saturday night, but it was confirmed on Tuesday morning that he passed away the previous night at 21:35 after spending 48 hours in a critical condition due to his injuries.
A statement by TEF’s CEO Cesar Silva read: “We extend our most sincere condolences to the family of Joao Carvalho’s and his teammates in Team Nobrega. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. We’d also like to thank all sports fans for their concern and support.
“We will give whatever support we can to Joao’s family. We have been in contact with his family and they have requested that we all understand their need for privacy at this difficult time.”
Carvalho fought under the Nobrega team name, and they issued a statement of their own to say they were “deeply saddened and dismayed” after hearing of his death and past on their condolences to his family.
The statement added that Carvalho was gaining recognition on both a “national and international level”, having fought with the Nobrega team throughout his career.
