Autopsy inconclusive on MMA Fighter who died after injury at regional event in SC

Amateur Mixed Martial Arts fighter Tyrone “Teesta” Mims of Augusta, GA, was pronounced dead August 10, 2012 at Medical University Hospital soon after a loss and severe injury at a regional event in Mount Pleasant, SC.

According to The Post and Courier, Mims had just completed a fight against Blake Poore when he suffered problems backstage, became unresponse, and was taken by paramedics to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“Conflict MMA Promotions: Fight Night at the Point 6” was cancelled after his injury, the second matchup of the evening that was to feature over a dozen bouts.  The event was live-streaming, but the live-stream was shut down once it became apparent that Mims was severely injured.  The streaming partner, Georgia Boy’s Grits-n-Glory, had this to say in a press release:

The promoters and the South Carolina Fight Commission consulted with the fighters and all involved and decided as a result of the death of one of their own we should call off the rest of the fights…  The promoters and the Athletic Commission did everything in their power according to protocol, and this accident was beyond their control. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope you’ll understand as we deal with the gravity of the situation. Our thoughts and prayers are with ‘Teesta’ and his immediate family, which include his five children.

Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten, said in a statement to the Post and Courier that the autopsy showed “no obvious, glaring cause of death.” Wooten said he found no visible signs of trauma.  Results from both tissue and cell testing, as well as a toxicology exam, will not be available for several weeks.

Recent deaths in MMA have all been linked to severe head injuries.

In 2010, Michael Kirkham was killed after a brain hemorrhage in a knockout loss in Aiken, SC, having sustained an additional KO only a month prior.  It is also the second MMA death of the year.  Dustin Jenson died after a fight in May, having also sustained a head injury just prior to the fight.

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