UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor released a statement on Tuesday regarding the death of Joao Carvalho, who died on Monday following a welterweight bout with Charlie Ward in Dublin on Saturday.
The Notorious took to Facebook to express his condolences, as well as highlight what a bitter loss this is for MMA fans and fighters across the globe:
Carvalho was taken to the hospital after he suffered a third-round TKO loss against Ward, with McGregor sitting ringside to watch his Irish team-mate. After the fight, he told MMA Connect TV (via BJPenn.com) he believed the bout should have been stopped sooner, before the extent of Carvalho's injuries became clear.
Per MMAjunkie, citing a Total Extreme Fighting statement, medical personnel checked on Ward between each round, but even after three rounds of devastating combat, he said he didn't feel any pain or have a headache, although he did feel tired.
The Portuguese welterweight had emergency brain surgery on Saturday, per MMAjunkie, before dying on Monday.
