Final Combating Championship (UFC) is mourning the lack of two of its backstage gamers, Derek Thompson and Matt Kelly, who handed away forward of the UFC Edmonton blended martial arts (MMA) occasion final night time in Canada, casting an extended shadow over an in any other case pleasing broadcast.
Explanation for loss of life was not revealed; nonetheless, Kelly was battling Stage 4 colon most cancers, in addition to Myelodysplastic Syndrome and was just lately moved to hospice.
“It’s exhausting to search out the phrases to explain the lack of these two,” sportscaster Megan Olivi wrote on Twitter. “Derek was our mild large. We flew to and labored so many occasions collectively. We quoted old style lyrics, I attempted to persuade him to return to Pilates, and we share some nice meals in no matter metropolis we have been in.”
“Matt was such a brilliant gentle,” Olivi continued. “If you happen to didn’t know he was sick you’d have by no means guessed by the way in which he carried himself. He was so humorous and regardless that his battle was so powerful, the smile by no means left his face. He made it a pleasure to work collectively and I used to be at all times so grateful to see him.”
UFC Edmonton featured the return of former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, who defeated prime contender Amir Albazi by lopsided choice. Within the co-main occasion, ex-strawweight champion Rose Namajunas fell to 125-pound phenom Erin Blanchfield after 5 rounds of back-and-forth motion.
