Chinese mixed martial artist Yang Jian Bing died at the age of 21 following his weight cut prior to a ONE Championship event in the Philippines.
ONE Championship officials announced Friday the fighter was taken to the San Juan De Dios Hospital in Pasay after collapsing in his attempt to make weight. He died of cardiopulmonary failure.
“There is nothing more profoundly tragic and sad than when a member of the ONE Championship family, current or past, passes away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of Yang Jian Bing,” ONE Championship CEO Victor Cui said in a statement issued by the promotion. “We will work closely with the family and offer all the support they need in any way we can during this very difficult time. I want to thank all sports fans around the world for their concern, thoughts and prayers. At this time, we appreciate everyone respecting the Yang family’s privacy as they mourn the loss of their beloved son and brother.”
Yang was a rising flyweight prospect on the Asian MMA scene. He had a record of 5-1 with one no contest. He was scheduled to fight Geje Eustaquio.
The dangers of weight cutting in MMA have been a recurring storyline in the sport for years and lately there has been a growing trend of fighters moving up in weight so as to avoid huge weight cuts.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan tweeted, “That’s the second weight cutting death I know of in the past year or so. It’s one of the worst aspects of MMA.”
There was a moment of silence held for Yang during the ONE Championship 35 broadcast.