Former UFC fighter Tim Hague dead at age 34 after boxing knockout

Tim Hague, a UFC veteran, is dead at age 34, two days after suffering a boxing knockout Friday night.



Hague died Sunday at a hospital in Edmonton after being in critical condition all weekend, his family said in a statement posted to his sister’s Facebook page. Hague was knocked out in the second round by fellow heavyweight Adam Braidwood at an event promoted by KO Boxing Canada.



“It is with incredible sadness, sorrow and heartbreak to report that Tim has passed away today,” the statement read. “He was surrounded by family, listening to his favorite songs. We will miss him with [us] so greatly. We ask for privacy during this difficult time.”



Braidwood, a former football player, knocked Hague down several times during the bout, but the referee didn’t call for a finish until one punch left Hague out cold in the second round. Hague was 1-2 as a boxer going into the fight, while Braidwood was 7-1 with six knockouts.



The bout was sanctioned by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission (ECSC). Hague lost by knockout in a boxing match in December and was the victim of some form of knockout in four of his last MMA fights, stretching back to 2015.



Hague compiled a 21-13 record in MMA with 15 knockouts and four submission. He defeated Pat Barry by first-round submission in his UFC debut back in 2009, but lost his next three and was released by the promotion. The Edmonton native was brought back in 2011 and lost to Matt Mitrione via first-round TKO.



After his UFC run, Hague fought mainly in his native Canada, winning heavyweight titles in the Unified MMA promotion and in XFFC. The latter was just last year, an April 2016 fourth-round TKO victory over Kalib Starnes. Hague fell in his last MMA bout to Michal Andryszak under the ACB banner in Russia by first-round TKO in July 2016.