Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (BKFC) fighter Francesco Ricchi has been placed in a medically induced coma following his fight against Noah Cutter at BKFC 14 over the weekend. My MMA Show was the first outlet to report the news.
Cutter shared the news in an Instagram story, along with well wishes for his opponent.
“Prayers and best wishes to my opponent Francesco. I’ve been informed he’s in the hospital in a medically induced coma due to bleeding in his lungs from a hematoma in his trachea due to a throat punch during the fight. Obviously accidental. We come out here to hurt each other but I never want to see this for an opponent. Prayers from my family. Heal up”
Despite the punch to the trachea, Ricchi still managed to win the fight in the third round. He was transported to a hospital after the fight and received surgery, which is where BKFC officials say complications arose and led to his continued hospitalization.
The promotion has since released a statement to MMA Fighting about the incident:
“First and foremost our thoughts are with Francesco and his family at this time as we pray for a quick and full recovery. The injury did not deter Francesco from a victorious result on Friday night but complications during the surgery at the hospital have resulted in a greater issue to his health.”
