By Carl Wade Thompson: This past Sunday, Tim Hague, a journeyman MMA fighter and boxer, died due to injuries he suffered in a knockout loss in a match on Saturday night. Tim Hague, whose fame was linked to five fights in the UFC, had taken the fight when boxer Adam Braidwood had been left without an opponent.
As a fan of combat sports, I had seen Hague fight in MMA fights in the UFC, but with a record of 1-4 in the organization, he was not someone stood out. Nonetheless, I respected the fact he reached the highest level of the sport. Upon reading of his death, I immediately reflected on the price some fighters pay, how many lives have been tragically affected by their pursuit of glory in the four-cornered ring.
Though boxing has been historically defined as the king of sports when it comes to combat, the price some fighters have to pay for chasing after such glory can be with their own lives. As a fan who loves the sport, as both a spectator and participant in training sessions, I still realize the damage it has done to people’s lives, and there is no end in sight. With the life-changing injuries and fatalities in boxing, I sometimes wonder if it is altogether too much, that maybe the legalized violence for entertainment is too much for society to pay.
I don’t have the answer to that question, but I know as fan who loves boxing, it is important for both fans and fighters alike to know what could ultimately happen every time the ring bell sounds. It is important to keep in mind that tragedy can occur in all the glory, and Hague’s death makes that reverberate even more. With that I can only watch, cheer, and pray everyone walks away intact. For that I have hope.