FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Dennis Kirkham only saw footage of his youngest son's mixed martial arts bouts once."The guy beat the heck out of the back of Michael's head to the point where it was beet red," Kirkham told FanHouse. "The other fighter was warned two or three times by the referee."
Michael Kirkham lost that amateur fight in Columbia, S.C., on April 24 via a technical knockout, a bout he lamented on Facebook should have resulted in the disqualification of his opponent. Kirkham was given an automatic 30-day medical suspension for the TKO loss, but it doesn't appear that he followed up with a doctor.
Two days after the suspension ended, Kirkham -- known to his friends here in the Carolinas as "Tree" due to his 6-foot-9, 155-pound frame -- suffered a brain hemorrhage in his pro debut at the University of South Carolina Aiken Convocation Center on June 26. He died two days later at the age of 30.
"I told him he wasn't ready," Dennis Kirkham said. "He said, 'I'm fine, dad. I'm OK.'"
Kirkham's was the second death in U.S. history linked directly to a sanctioned MMA bout. He was checked out immediately before the fight by a ringside doctor, and an ambulance was stationed nearby. It's possible, however, that neither could have been capable of detecting or treating the damage inflicted in the previous bout.
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"This could have been second-impact syndrome," said Dr. Joe Estwanik, former medical advisor to the North Carolina Boxing Authority and author of "Sports Medicine for the Combat Artists." "From a few days to three-to-four weeks after somebody suffers a significant blow to the head, a second blow can trigger an overwhelming response by the body that we still don't really understand. Even a minor blow could result in massive swelling of the brain and there's up to a 50 percent chance of dying."
Dr. Robert C. Cantu, a leading researcher on second-impact syndrome, said a brain scan done after the first fight may have been able to detect a brain injury, but such tests run well north of $1,000. That was certainly out of reach for Kirkham, who owed thousands in child support and hadn't held a steady job in years.
He was slated to make about $300 for his bout with Carlos Iraburo.
The rise in popularity of UFC in recent years has spurred a boom in the number of people training in MMA, and gyms have sprouted up around the country to meet the growing demand. Kirkham caught the MMA bug while he lived here a couple years ago, going as far as creating his own fighting crew called the Fayetteville Independents.
Friends said Kirkham was largely self-taught, reading MMA books and studying his favorite fighters, such as Chuck Liddell.
"He was a good fighter," said Albert Avery, who along with his brother, Moses, and cousin, Mark Papa, were members of the Independents. "I saw him take down a guy that outweighed him in 16 seconds."
"He was a good fighter. I saw him take down a guy that outweighed him in 16 seconds."
-- Albert Avery
Members of the Independents sparred wherever they could in and around Fayetteville -- in backyards, garages and makeshift gyms. Some trained for a short time at The Sports Center, a gym in Fayetteville where Kirkham worked for a few weeks last year.
"He was a good guy," owner Lee Tart said. "He did all kinds of stuff. He mowed grass, made sure the parking lot was clean and did some glass cleaning. Then, one day he didn't come to work. I couldn't find him."
Kirkham, who moved from Illinois to North Carolina after high school to pursue his dream of starting up a band, cobbled together jobs here and there to make ends meet. He had a running feud with his ex-wife, who remained in Illinois and was due $10,584 in back child support as of July 2007, when a judge ordered Kirkham to pay $511 per month in child support for his two children.
"I don't believe it's right that I should have to pay child support on children that I am being denied contact with," Kirkham wrote to a judge in an effort to contest the amount of child support due. "I [have] been kept from having any involvement in their lives for the past three years."
Through all the court documents obtained by FanHouse, Kirkham listed "unemployed" under occupation. Brandon Patterson, an Indianapolis-based MMA promoter who Kirkham leaned on for advice, said Kirkham didn't see MMA as a way out of his financial troubles.
"He got into it because he loved it and was good at it," Patterson said. "His financial problems had nothing to do with why he got into the sport."
Kirkham left town with his girlfriend late last year to join one of his brothers in Gaston, S.C. He kept in constant contact with members of the Independents, helping set up various amateur bouts and traveling as far as Tennessee for matches.
"He was the motivator and backbone of the Independents," Moses Avery said. "Every time we went to a fight, the Independents were considered the underdog team, but we never came home without a win."
Iraburo, Kirkham's opponent on that fateful night last month, followed a more traditional route to MMA. He began in martial arts at age 15, and at 18 started training in MMA, according to his bio. Carlos "Carlito's Way" Iraburo, who turns 28 this week, currently trains at Greubel's Mixed Martial Arts gym in Augusta, Ga.
At 5-foot-9, he gave up a full foot in height to Kirkham, although Iraburo had the more impressive amateur resume: A 4-0 record vs. Kirkham's 3-3.
"I kept trying to get him to quit. The simple fact he wasn't making any money and all his time was taken up training. I wanted him working construction to feed the kids."
-- Dennis Kirkham "With his size, I didn't want to stay standing up and risk taking a kick to the head," Iraburo told FanHouse. "I knew his strengths were going to be his kicks and his reach."
Iraburo had Kirkham down to the mat within seconds where Iraburo landed a few headshots, none considered illegal or out of the norm for an MMA bout. The referee called a stoppage to the fight about 40 seconds into the match.
"As the fight was ending, he wasn't limp," Iraburo said. "His head was up and off the canvas. It wasn't like he was already out."
But Kirkham soon lost consciousness and never recovered, despite attempts by medical personnel at ringside.
An autopsy found that Kirkham died from subarachnoid hemorrhage of the brain. Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton, who was not present at the autopsy, said the report showed no indication of a prior injury. But Cantu, the neurosurgeon based at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass., said such an injury would likely only turn up in a brain scan.
Cantu studied the brain of the first known MMA fighter to die from injuries during competition, American Doug Dedge. He suffered a head injury two days before the fight that took his life at an unregulated tournament in the Ukraine in 1998. The first MMA death known to take place on U.S. soil occurred in 2007 when Houston's Sam Vasquez died days after suffering severe head injuries.
Regardless of whether his final amateur fight played a role in Kirkham's death, Dennis Kirkham said he doesn't hold Iraburo responsible.
"Carlos didn't do anything wrong," Kirkham said. "He just did what any fighter would do. It could have been anybody in there. It's just one of those things."
South Carolina approved MMA last year, although the state's athletic commission's requirements fall short of the benchmarks set by Nevada and California. According to the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians website, a full physical is not required to fight in the state, let alone an annual neurological exam that some other state commissions require.
Citing an ongoing investigation into Kirkham's death, South Carolina Athletic Commission spokeswoman Lesia Kudelka refused to comment.
The International Sport Karate Association sanctioned the bouts that night and the organization's commissioner, Robert Mason, told FanHouse that ISKA would follow the investigation closely. Mason didn't rule out that Kirkham, considered a lightweight despite being unusually tall for the weight class, could have put himself at a disadvantage. He added that restrictions on that basis would be tough to implement "unless the height-to-weight ratio was found to be a symptom of a specific genetic weakness or predisposition."
"I don't think of martial arts athletes as 'gladiators,'" Mason said. "There is no intent on the part of anyone to have these athletes suffer death or serious injury."
In the end, much of the onus for a fighter's safety lies with the fighter, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer.
"You rely on the fighter to tell you the truth," Kizer said.
On his entry form, Kirkham left blank a question that asked if he had ever been suspended in any state.
It wasn't necessarily due to the dangers of the sport, but Dennis Kirkham had been doing his best to shift his son's focus away from MMA and onto a steady job.
"I kept trying to get him to quit," Kirkham said. "The simple fact he wasn't making any money and all his time was taken up training. I wanted him working construction to feed the kids."
His three children with his longtime girlfriend, including one infant, are in the process of relocating to Minnesota. The grieving process for the entire family is still in its early stages.
For those who trained and fought with Kirkham, he's more than a tragic MMA statistic.
"He got a whole lot of guys into [MMA] and he has inspired a lot of us to keep fighting," Moses Avery said. "No words could ever express the goodness Tree had in him."
A memorial fund has been established for Michael Kirkham's children. Donations can be made at michaelkirkhammemorialfund.viviti.com.
Comments (Page 1 of 14)
He was not the only one to die in the Cage, this is not a sport and should be banned entirly in this Country, this tragedy will only repeat itself again soon, many of these fighters are pumped up on massive steroids , just look at that Brazillian woman champion, she looks bigger then most Men, but noone seems to notice these things and have them drug tested before someone else has to Die. It is all about the Money and NOT a Human life. So sad.
People like you that put a bad word in for Mixed Martial Arts fighting are the ones who usauly ruin it for everyone else. This is a Lower Promotion which probably doesnt have the Advance Healthcare that UFC and StrikeForce have. This guy should of never been fighting, 6'9 155lbs come on most HEVY WEIGHTS ARE NOT 6'9.You make me sick, learn the sport.
They are tested for steroids and other drugs before and after fights. People die in many sports (car racing, horse racing, football practices) it doesn't mean more is to come...it's just a tragic accident. Do research before you post because if you don't know much about something you should prob keep your mouth shut about it or get called out.
You have got to be kidding me... ignorant people like you never cease to amaze me. I love football but how many kids do you hear die every summer from heart failure, dehydration, being hit to hard, etc. I can go on and on with each sport. MMA believe it or not is probably the safest, supervised sport on the planet due to the microscope its under for being new. You dont like it dont watch it, but dont tell me what i'm going to watch.
you are completely ignorant about the sport. Why use this venue to whine about something you don't understand. This sport is less dangerous than boxing or football. You're a clown
It's sad what extremes people will go to for fame and fortune.
Kenny Nash
Youtube Kenny Nash "DESIRE"
THE FACT THAT "HE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO DIE IN THE CAGE" SPEAKS MORE TO BANNING THIS BRUTAL ACTIVITY THAN SUPPORTING IT. WHY AREN'T THERE RULES FOR PEOPLE NOT TO BE IN A CATEGORY THEY SHOULD NOT BE IN????? MY NEPHEW DID THIS "SPORT"--IT IS BRUTAL AND TOO MUCH RISK FOR PEOPE TO TAKE WITH THEIR BODIES AND THEIR LIVES. IT IS HORRIBLE & INHUMANE. NEVER, EVER, EVER MAKE THE DECISION NOT TO SEE A DOCTOR AND HAVE A CT SCAN &/OR MRI WHEN YOU'VE HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS TO THE HEAD--WE ONLY HAVE ONE BRAIN AND IT IS NOT A TRANSPLANTABLE ORGAN. SPORT IS ONE THING; THIS IS ANOTHER. SPORT SHOULD NOT BE MADE OF BRUTALITY. I HAVE SEEN TOO MANY HEAD INJURIES IN MY LONG CAREER AS A NURSE & EDUCATOR. THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH THAT CAN BE DONE. THIS IS VERY SAD. I AM SO VERY GRATEFUL THAT MY NEPHEW DOES NOT PERTICIPATE IN THIS "SPORT" ANY LONGER--VERY GRATEFUL. WE ONLY HAVE ONE BODY, ONE LIFE.
It comes with the territory. What an idiot. Who thinks...."okay, I'm going into a cage. My opponent is allowed to puched me in the head....a lot. Oh goodie!!! " WTF
The DEADLIEST Job is that Alaskan Snow Crabbing.
Maybe the government should step in and ban Crabbing! Why do we even eat crabs? They don't offer anything nutritious that we can't supplement through some other food.
Oh yeah, because we CHOOSE to eat Snow Crabs. Maybe these people enjoy it. At least a lot less people die here than on the boats!
These people live much better lifestyles than those crabbers too. (You see the chain smoking, horrible sleep habits, horrible foods those guys eat for weeks at a time).
Then go to these athletes who eat healthy, great sleep schedules, great shape. Yes 2 have died, it's ashame and I think that brain scans should be mandatory once every 2 years or after a severe beating to the head.
These seem to be the only life threatening injuries so why not do as much as you can to eliminate them. I know they cost $1000 but I'm sure if they were to buy a used machine and just use them for the fighters they could probably just charge a surcharge on the event tickets. I know I would be willing to pay $2 extra per ticket to ensure I'm helping one of them and not padding the promoters pockets.
Sadly you are correct. This is not a sport but I do not believe it should be banned for the simple reason that it provides a living just like other events that people are killed in. We watch because we like seeing someone get their brains beat in. We watch because violence fascinates us. We watch because we are voyeurs. I watch for all the same reasons.
people like you suck...
In response to this response by DarkHorse to the original comment made by Wolfster9:
"I agree with you.It's not even a sport that require's talent.Maybe just a lack of....so that's why they enter this sport.It's nothing that you can't see for free in the back alley of countless redneck bar's across the nation EVERY night of the week.But it provide's easy access for the average,toothless inbred to get his 15 minute's(or second's in most case's) of fame with ABSOLUTELY NO TALENT,charisma or education.AND get paid for it to boot.Some slick promoter figured out a way to get super rich off promoting bar fight's.And I'll GUARANTEE you that 99/% of the moron's that disagree with this are the VERY stooge's that work at a fast food resturaunt and fantasize all day about escaping their loser life and becoming the next chucky liddel.No teeth and all.BUT MAN....won't they be a hero to their high school dropout bud's back on the block.The girl who manages the McDonalds where they work might even look their pathetic way!HOT DAMN!!! WWWWWEEEEEEEEEE DOOOOOGIE"S BOY"S...Lez start tranin'!!!!"
"No talent"? "Bar fights"? "Fast food restaurant losers"? I STRONGLY disagree with your comments and they PROVE your ignorance as it pertains to this sport.
Apparently, I must be in the 1% of fighters whom you DO NOT refer to. I retired a millionaire at a very young age (no McDonald's for me--not that there's anything wrong with that). My IQ has been tested twice and the result is so high that I won't bother to post it here knowing you'll only accuse me of lying. There are SEVERAL highly intelligent and/or highly educated fighters who I can readily think of and list off the tip of my tongue. But you're not aware of this.
Your lack of knowledge of the sport and total ignorance of it are further evidenced by your opinion that it requires no talent to be an MMA fighter. Yes, any yokel can get a fight here or there, but the one's with sub-par talent are QUICKLY weeded-out via defeats and are usually never heard of again unless they dedicate themselves to training and come back significantly improved. Trust me when I tell you that if you put me in a ring, cage, or back-alley bar brawl with one of your no-talent "toothless inbreds" who outweighed me by 40 pounds of muscle, I'd be sipping a Mojito 3 minutes later without having hardly broken a sweat. There is more hard work, smarts, and dedication involved in being a competent participant in combative arts than your puny, narrow-minded brain could ever comprehend.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage is an acute and unpredictable injury. It's an arterial bleed and can kill you in minutes. There's a remote possibility Kirkham might have been "set up" for a torn blood vessel by his previous injury -- emphasis on the "remote". But such a thing would never show up even on a brain scan. I can't see this as anyone's fault, it was just a tragic coincidence. Not "the sport's fault", just a terribly unfortunate accident.
Why would you wanna ban MMA, biggest sport in the world!!!
This is most certainly a sport. Boxing, a sanctioned sport for many years, is responsible for hundreds of deaths. Boxers and football players take many more jogs to the brain. A boxer may get hit in the head 400 times in a fight. No MMA fighter can take much more than 20 with the smaller gloves. You simply are ignorant on the sport. Please educate yourself.
You are either silly or stupid, I don't know which. But, if you trained half as hard as any of these martial artists do you would know that from hard work and discipline comes the chiseled muscle and body. You even think about the use of drugs in training and the Nevada State Atheltic Commission will hang you out to D R Y ! ! ! Don't even consider trying to get away with that here...and the fines are NASTY!!!
I agree..this is a stupid "sport" only 30 years old....gone and never to return...is it worth it. Gettting your head kicked in...NO...it should be banned..
It is a sport and shouldnt be banned. This is not the only sport where people die, and it has a rightful place in America. One of the dumbest statements I have seen.
first off this sport is way more dangerous than football. You have to be a complete idiot to think otherwise. No1 has ever died from being hit to hard in football, and you cant blame heart failure on football, that makes no sense, and dehydration yes but thats only because the so called "athlete" doesnt drink enough water which should be a main priority in his life if he has to practice in heat. I mean this is all common sense, just cause 1 or 2 people die from dehydration when practice football doesnt mean football is the calprit. Its the athletes who decided to drink 3 mountain dews instead of 4 bottles of water that day so lets be serious, do not make football out as being more dangerous. In football you wear science proven pads to help with the hits, you dont just stand there taking multiple punches to the head with no protection. In football, if you were injured or had a concussion, you have to go to the doctor and get tested to get cleared, obviously thats not the case for mma. To compare football to mma fighting and even to go as far as saying football is more dangerous is completely idiotic and demeaning to the game of football.
You have no right to say what these people should and shouldn't be able to do. No one is making them get in that ring. They do it at their own risks. People die from a lot of other activities too. Are you going to ban cars? Airplanes? Hunting? Stuff happens. These people want to risk their lives let them. It's not your call.