Joao Carvalho died on April 11th 2016, after competing against Charlie Ward at a Total Extreme Fighting MMA card at the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
Carvalho lost his fight with Ward via third-round TKO. Twenty minutes later, Carvalho told his teammates he was feeling unwell. The Portuguese fighter was then rushed to Beaumont Hospital where he was diagnosed with a brain bleed. Carvalho was given treatment, but it was not enough to save his life. He was 28 years old.
An inquest into Carvalho’s death in February, 2018 heard how medical staff struggled to give Carvalho the care he needed in his final moments. That inquest recognized that MMA in Ireland requires more robust regulation and higher degrees of medical support at events. The inquest ultimately ruled Carvalho’s death as ‘by misadventure’, meaning the court believed Carvalho fully understood that he was risking his life by competing in MMA.
Below are news and updates tracking the fallout that has resulted from the tragic loss of Carvalho.
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