Amateur mixed martial arts fighter Natalija Rajkovic saw the red flags as soon as she watched the video her boyfriend took of her training partner Trokon Dousuah’s fight that ultimately caused his death earlier this week.
Dousuah, 33, took part in a charity mixed martial arts event put on by U.K. promoter Ultra MMA on Saturday at the Enoch Community Centre and died in hospital on Monday due to injuries sustained in the fight.
“In the video, you can see his body looks normal but towards the end of the fight you could see his stomach was inflated, you could tell something was seriously wrong,” said Rajkovic, who told Postmedia that Dousuah died due to a ruptured kidney and had to be carried out of the cage and was seen in severe distress.
“The more I think about it, the more red flags come up about how everything was run and handled.”
Rajkovic said she believes that Dousuah shouldn’t have been allowed to fight at all because he suffered from asthma and she wonders why that wasn’t taken into account.
“I have no idea why he was cleared to fight,” Rajkovic said.
Rajkovic and Dousuah were part of 30 amateur MMA fighters training to make their debut on Saturday’s fight card.
They trained together with coaches in Edmonton with one-hour sessions twice a week for two months.
‘Eight weeks isn’t enough’
Rajkovic described Dousuah as someone that was “full of energy” and he was “always happy.” But she believed he wasn’t ready to step inside the cage and fight.
Dousuah was married with two kids and another child on the way.
“Honestly, I don’t believe any of us were ready. Training one or two hours a week for eight weeks isn’t enough,” said Rajkovic, who never got to fight on the card because it was cancelled shortly after Dousuah was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.
“I fully knew the risks going into this. I knew I could get knocked out or seriously injured, but I don’t know if everyone who was supposed to fight on this card truly knows the seriousness of MMA.
“I had a lot of concerns with how things were run. One fight scheduled on the card, the two fighters had a 20-pound difference in weight. That should never happen.”
RCMP are investigating the death of Dousuah but Alberta RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff confirmed to Postmedia that all deaths outside of doctor’s care or hospital are investigated by police.
Retired mixed martial artist and current boxer Ryan Ford, who also runs his own fight promotion and trains many mixed martial artists and boxers, posted his displeasure in a video on his social media on Tuesday and didn’t hold back in his criticism of the event.
“This is a stark reminder and harsh reality of this sport,” said Ford in the video.
“You play basketball, you play football, but you don’t play combat sports. Whether it’s professional or amateur, stepping into that ring or cage, or even just sparring, carries real risk. Risk to your health, and risk to your life.”
‘Puts lives in danger’
Ford, who’s been involved professionally in mixed martial arts and boxing for almost two decades said anyone wanting to become a MMA fighter or boxer needs to take the right approach.
“I don’t know who keeps pushing this bull—- nonsense idea that training twice a week for eight weeks with zero experience and stepping into a fight,” said Ford.
“If you’re serious about getting into the fight game (as a fighter), you need to do it right. Get yourself to a legit gym. Find yourself an experienced coach who knows the sport inside and out and most importantly knows your safe.”
Ford told Postmedia on Wednesday he talked to one fighter who was scheduled to fight on the card but she didn’t start to spar until the week before the fight.
Ford, who runs both amateur and professional fight cards, said one major concern he saw from this event was that none of the amateur fighters were wearing headgear, oversized gloves and shin guards, which is mandatory at the amateur level.
“They asked us if we could train (these fighters), and I said, ‘No chance.’,” said Ford, who said amateur fighters should train for at least six months and have 50-60 sparring sessions before even considering stepping into the cage to fight.
“I don’t corner people unless I train them and I know they’re ready. At the end of the day, if something happens to them, it’s part of me.”