South Dakota man dies after fighting in an unregulated MMA bout

Dustin Jenson, a 26-year-old man from Sturgis, S.D., died a week after participating in an unregulated MMA bout.

After losing by submission at RingWars on May 18, Jenson watched two fights, went back to the locker room and had a seizure. Medical officials determined he had increased pressure on his brain, so they treated it with a medically induced coma and surgery. He was taken off life support and his organs were donated on May 24.

It was Jenson's fifth fight, and both doctors, and his family and friends found nothing out of the ordinary in the bout.

"Doctors have watched the video and said it shouldn't have happened," Schieman [Jenson's mother-in-law] said. "They said the fight may have triggered a brain aneurysm, but it was not overly violent."

MMA is not regulated in South Dakota. In states where MMA is regulated, brain scans are part of the pre-fight medical exams that all fighters are required to undergo. Thiago Alves was pulled from a bout in New Jersey at UFC 111 when his pre-fight medicals found an irregularity. Santino DeFranco, who was on the ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," was slated to be on the second season of the show. His pre-fight medicals found two brain aneurysms.

Jenson is survived by his wife and daughter. Click here to donate to them.

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