Former UFC Fighter Tim Hague Dies After Boxing Match
Former UFC heavyweight Tim Hague passed away on Sunday as a result of knockout loss he suffered from a boxing match last week. Hague, who made his boxing debut in 2011, was 34-years-old.
“It is with incredible sadness, sorrow and heartbreak to report that Tim has passed away today,” Hague’s sister Jackie Neil wrote on Facebook. “He was surrounded by family, listening to his favorite songs. We will miss him with so greatly. We ask for privacy during this difficult time.”
Hague was taken to an Edmonton hospital in critical condition with a “serious brain injury” after being knocked out by Adam Braidwood at the Shaw Conference Centre in Alberta, Canada on Friday. According to Fox Sports, Hague remained on the canvas for several minutes following the knockout and later went into a coma. He was knocked down several times during the fight, but it wasn’t until Hague was reportedly unconscious that the referee called for a finish.
While post-fight reviews are usually completed immediately after each fight, Edmonton Combative Sports Commission executive director Pat Reid said they extended the request due to Hague’s condition at the time.
“Following the news that boxer Tim Hague is in critical condition following a professional boxing match on Friday, June 16th, we have extended the request for reports to all referees, ringside judges, physicians, chief inspector, paymaster and the presiding inspectors assigned to the bout,” Reid said in a statement. “We will determine the next steps following the evaluation of these reports.”
Hague appeared in four UFC fights between 2009 and 2010. He beat Pat Barry in his debut at UFC 98 with a guillotine choke despite being the underdog but went on to lose his next three fights. Following his release from the UFC in 2011, Hague wrote on Facebook that he was going to take a break from MMA to “let the brain heal” from a concussion.
Before he was a fighter, Hague was a Grade 4 English teacher at École Bellevue School in Alberta. In a statement CBC News, the school’s principal Jennifer El-Khatib said he was “a beloved teacher and staff member. His students loved him and looked up to him, and he was an important part of our school community.”