Welterweight Clovis "CJ" Hancock had to be revived and taken to hospital after collapsing and going into cardiac arrest during the second round of his fight with Charlie Ontiveros at Legacy Fighting Alliance 26 in Houston on Friday.
War Room MMA coach Steven Wright and photographer Mike Jackson were both in attendance and broke the news, with Hancock later revealing on Facebook that his heart had stopped and his kidneys had shut down. The on-site medical team managed to revive him before rushing him to hospital. His career as a fighter now over, he aims to dedicate himself to coaching and Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions once he's fully recovered.
Hancock couldn't attribute the scare to anything in particular, but did mention he'd undergone a grueling weight cut before taking the cage. LFA head Ed Soares has since told MMA Fighting's Marc Raimondi that it was a body kick from Ontiveros that provoked Hancock's collapse in the cage.
Hancock's girlfriend, Christine Nina Ross, has been providing updates on his condition through Facebook and claimed he'd been treated with four IV bags due to "severe dehydration." Per a Saturday afternoon update, Hancock will remain at Memorial Herman Southwest Hospital for one more night - at a cardiologist's recommendation - as a precautionary measure to reduce the risk of cardiac instability.
The scary turn of events ultimately resulted in a TKO victory for Ontiveros, one that dropped Hancock's professional record to 2-3.
