Mixed martial artist Dhafir Harris, better known as Dada 5000, is speaking out about the scary circumstances around his knockout loss against Kimbo Slice at Bellator 149 in February.
During a Wednesday appearance on the Dan LeBatard Show (via Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com), Harris said the phantom punch that resulted in Slice being awarded a knockout victory was actually the result of a heart attack:
When they (paramedics) brought me back, I was inside the hospital and they said that I had two heart attacks -- and this is on paper we can provide to you guys. I had two heart attacks and I [flat-lined] twice. And for me, I was just thanking God, like, I'm here for a real reason. Because there's individuals out there who didn't go through a fraction of what I went through and they're no longer breathing.
After the bout was over, Harris was taken out of the arena on a stretcher and to the hospital, with Marissa Rives of SiriusXM Rush 93 providing video of the EMT taking him out of the cage following the match:
Dada 5000 taken out on a stretcher. This is the danger of putting a fight like this on. pic.twitter.com/H69C7lcnM4
— Marissa Rives (@mrivesx3) February 20, 2016
Harris added in his interview with LeBatard that he "was pronounced dead" and that the medical staff continued to work on him after the fact to bring him back to life.
As for how this happened, while he didn't have an exact explanation, Harris did say he pushed his body too hard in too short a time to make the fight with Slice: "Instead of taking a couple months, I probably double-timed it. So I wouldn't say (I cut weight) poorly."
Per Jeremy Botter of the Houston Chronicle, Harris does not typically cut weight and wound up dropping "nearly 40 pounds" in the time leading up to the fight with Slice. Botter noted Harris' high levels of potassium led to severe dehydration, exhaustion and kidney failure during the fight.
Harris also acknowledged he is still on dialysis stemming from the renal failure. The fight was roundly criticized after it was over, though the situation with Harris certainly shined a different light on how things played out.
Better known for his street fight videos on YouTube, Harris is not a professionally trained mixed martial artist. There's an inherent danger in the sport due to weight cutting, but fighters are better conditioned for it thanks to working with nutritionists who can help them manage their diet.
Harris is lucky to be alive right now, and the circumstances of this fight and its aftermath could call into question similar matchups in the future.
