Nikhil Suresh Death: Indian MMA fighter passes away after fight in K1 Kickboxing Championship event

Bengaluru, July 14: Indian MMA fighter Nikhil Suresh has passed away following injuries sustained during his fight at the K1 Kickboxing championship organized by the K1 association of Karnataka in Bengaluru on July 9 and July 10.

Nikhil was hospitalized following a knockout last weekend and the news of his passing was shared by his coach via social media on Wednesday (July 13).

"With profound sadness, I shoulder the burden of breaking the terrible news that we all dreaded. My boy Nikhil decided to hang his gloves today. His beautiful soul left us behind after a hard-fought battle in the early hours of today inspite of the best medical attention," the post read.

"He will be etched eternally on our hearts and memories. I am shattered beyond words for my loss. Today I have lost a son. We pray almighty to give us all enough strength to bear the unbearable. My deepest condolences."

The coach also added that the venue lacked an Ambulance and trained medical staff. He also stated that Nikhil could have been saved and also called for a major overhaul in safety protocols by the organizers of Combat Sports events in India.

"My boy Nikhil is in a critical state of health post a knockout suffered at the K1 Kickboxing championship organized by K1 association of Karnataka on 9th and 10th of July 2022 in Bangalore.

"Had there been an ambulance, trained medical staff and a standard fighting platform at the venue he wouldn't have lost those precious golden moments when the tragedy struck and could have saved him from this agony.

"This cries for a major overhaul in the mindset of organizers and associations to follow safety protocols which are already in place for combat sports"

According to reports, Nikhil Suresh's father has lodged a complaint against the organizers of the event for negligence.