RIP Douglas Dedge
A very unfortunate turn of events occurred during the third fight of the 1998 International Super Challenge in Kiev, Ukraine on 3/16/98.
During the match, Douglas Dedge fought Yevgeni Zolotarev… the official result of the fight was listed as Zolotarev def. Dedge via submission due to strikes. Dedge died two days after the fight due to injuries. As a side note, Zolotarev has not fought again since that match. Rumors surfaced that Dedge was advised by a doctor not to fight due to a prior injury (concussion or subdural hematoma), but fought anyway. The strikes he endured during his match at the International Super Challenge may have caused those prior injuries to become much worse eventually leading to his death.
Written accounts of the fight seem to vary greatly, but here is the actual fight footage:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...74140296314666
WIKIPEDIA
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Douglas Dedge (1966-1998) was a mixed martial arts fights. He sadely died in the ring after several punches to the head. It is noted that he was let go from U.F.C. because he blacked out on more than one occasion during practice. There might have been an underlying cause to his death
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Dedge
DETROIT NEWS
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DOUGLAS DEDGE, 31
When: March 16, 1998
Where: Kiev, Ukraine (“Boi Bez Pravil” — Battle Without Rules)
What happened: Dedge, a father of five who operated a martial-arts academy, was matched against a local wrestler, and within a minute, was face-down on the canvas. His opponent trampled him and punched him in the nape of the neck 14 times. He died two days later of severe brain damage.
Source:
http://www.detnews.com/specialreport...hman/index.htm
Modern MMA's First Death (Douglas Dedge) 
