Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship issues statement after Justin Thornton dies following KO loss at BKFC 20

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship issued a statement after MMA fighter and BKFC boxer Justin Thornton died following his KO loss at BKFC 20.

Thornton was brutally knocked out during a BKFC event by Dillon Cleckler this past August. Thornton was knocked out with one punch and then faceplanted to the ground, which resulted in the fighter being partially paralyzed. For over the past month, Thornton has been in a hospital on a ventilator. On Monday, news broke that he had passed away.

After the news was confirmed that Thornton had passed away at age 38, BKFC shared a statement on its social media regarding the passing of the fighter. This is what it said.

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— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) October 5, 2021

“We are very sad to learn of the passing of one of our fighters, Justin Thornton, who competed at BKFC 20 on August 20, 2021. We join the rest of the combat sports community in sending our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. We have spoken to this family, given them our condolences, and let them know they have our full support through this trying time. David Feldman, president BKFC.”

The news that Thornton died after being injured in his BKFC fight is terrible on many fronts. First and foremost, the Thornton family has now lost a member of their family, which is incredibly sad, as nothing will bring back Thornton. Second, it’s a knock against BKFC, who have tried to promote that they are “safer” than MMA and other combat spots. And third, it’s a black mark on the Mississippi commission that sanctioned the event. On paper, this fight was a mismatch, and now a fighter is dead because of it. It all adds up to an incredibly sad situation. The only hope is that things can be learned from this so it doesn’t happen again.

We here at BJPenn.com extend our deepest condolences to the family of Justin Thornton at this difficult time.