Fighter dies following amateur MMA bout in England

Amateur mixed martial arts fighter Saeideh Aletaha has died after suffering a brain injury during a bout this past weekend.

Aletaha, 26, was injured during the Fast and Furious Fight Series event which occurred at Central Hall in the south coast city on Saturday night. She was transferred to Southampton General Hospital around 9 p.m. local time, but was pronounced dead later that evening.

As reported by Southern Daily Echo, the Hampshire police had the following to say.

“We were called shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday Nov. 17 by colleagues at Southampton General Hospital informing us of a woman who was being treated in hospital for a life-threatening brain injury. The woman, aged 26, died in hospital later that day. Inquiries into exactly what happened are ongoing. Next of kin have been informed.”

Exile Gym in Southampton, where Aletaha trained, posted the following tribute on Facebook.

“Following the show Saturday we regret to announce that one of our team mates unfortunately suffered an injury leaving her in a critical condition that she tragically will not recover from.

Saeideh Aletaha was a lovely character with a beautiful soul. Her dedication to the sport was 110% traveling miles every day just to train.

She found her place with us just a few months ago but has become apart of the family and will be sorely missed.

This news comes as a devastating blow to us all at the gym and the whole community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

If there is any questions or if anyone feels they need support at this time please please do contact us.”

As previously stated there is an investigation into what exactly happened, and while reassurances have been made that the proper precautions were put in place regarding safety regulations, it’s still a tragic loss to the MMA community.

Rest In Peace, Saeideh Aletaha. 

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/18/2019.