Less than 13 months after Booto Guylain died after a pro MMA fight in South Africa, Ramin Zeynalov suffered the same fate after competing in an amateur bout in Azerbaijan last week, according to a report from Bloody Elbow.
The 27-year-old Azerbaijani fighter was rendered unconscious after getting slammed and mounted by an unknown opponent in what was a national tournament held at The Hovsan Olympic Complex. Zeynalov died from a brain hemorrhage sustained during the fight.
In this video of the bout, it appears that Zeynalov attempted to lock up an arm-in guillotine choke, only to get slammed hard to the mat by a double-leg takedown. The black belt in taekwondo seemed conscious for seconds after the slam, even making a last-ditch effort to pull off the guillotine as his opponent moved into the mount.
What happened next was unclear, to say the least.
While releasing his guillotine attempt, Zeynalov went limp after slowly losing consciousness. The bout's referee, however, didn't recognize Zeynalov's dire state until his foe unleashed a punch from the mount. But due to the video's poor quality, it wasn't evident whether Zeynalov's opponent actually landed the punch or pulled it back at the last instant.
Zeynalov's brother, Rahman, said his younger sibling didn't inform his family of his plans to take the fight. Although he had no success, Rahman said he attempted to talk Ramin out of accepting the bout.
Ramin is the youngest brother in the family. He did not tell anyone that he had filed an application to participate in the fighting without rules. We found out about it by accident. Of course we started to dissuade him, saying that he had a family, he does not need, but he was not listening. He did not need the money, it was just his passion. He has a wonderful family, including his little daughter.
Rahman, a police officer in Azerbaijan, said the death of his brother is being investigated. He also said he harbors no ill will toward Ramin's unknown opponent.
"I can not blame him for the death of (my) brother — he attacked him not with weapons; it was a battle, Rahman said."
Bloody Elbow's report didn't specify whether the tournament was sanctioned.
Guylain was the fourth MMA fighter to pass away due to injuries sustained during sanctioned MMA fights.
After suffering cerebral hemorrhages in their pro bouts, 30-year-old Michael Kirkham and 35-year-old Sam Vasquez both died. Thirty-year-old Tyrone Mims passed away after an amateur fight, although the cause of death in that case was never determined.
In September 2013, former pro Leandro "Feijao" Souza died while attempting to cut weight prior to Shooto Brazil 43 in Rio de Janeiro. The Nova Uniao product apparently died from a stroke.
