The MMA community was shocked and saddened by the recent passing of UFC veteran Tim Hague, who died due to injuries suffered in a boxing match.
Matt Mitrione spoke of the events The MMA Hour about it.
“I’m really upset by that man,” Mitrione said. “It’s hard. It’s a very difficult thing. Like maybe if I didn’t fight him I’d be like, this sucks. But now that I fought him and knew him? And for it to happen around Father’s Day? There’s a lot that sucks about it. But how do you fight? It’s my job man. I could be cleaning windows on a building [and something could happen], god knows.”
Mitrione is mourning while preparing to fight Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 180 this Saturday Night.
The heavyweight fighter also claims that Hague took the boxing match so he can make money for himself and his son for Father’s Day.
“It sucks man,” he said. “And I heard about a post he made on Facebook where he said he just wanted to get some money so he can have a great Father’s Day with his kid. It sucks man. There’s no easy way to sugar coat it. It’s a horrible situation. I know how proud he was of his son. I know how proud he was to be a father. He was a really good dude. And I mean, it just sucks.”
Bellator 180 takes place on Saturday, June 24 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York with Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow the next day.
