By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship fighter Justin Thornton has passed away. He was 38.
An official cause of death has not been released yet. He had been in the hospital following his recent fight.
At BKFC 20, he was defeated by Dillon Cleckler. The fight lasted just 19 seconds.
“This morning we were very saddened to be notified of the passing of one of our fighters, Justin Thornton, who competed at BKFC 20 on August 20, 2021,” BKFC president Dave Feldman said, according to MMAFighting.com. “We join the rest of the combat sports community in sending our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Thornton – who was fighting out of Natchez, Mississippi — was 6-18 as an MMA fighter. His last fight against Cleckler came on August 20th.
When he fought against Cleckler, he was making his BKFC debut. Thornton received a TKO loss in the bout.
Following the fight, Thornton — who suffered a violent knockout — remained down for several minutes.
There are online reports that Thornton was paralyzed after the fight with Cleckler. However, we have not been able to confirm those reports.
“We join the rest of the combat sports community in sending our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” BKFC said in a statement to social media. “We have spoken to his family, given them our condolences, and let them know that they have our full support during this trying time.”
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