Hunter Boone mutilates head in alleged cage malfunction; promotion unsure of cause
Snapped legs, nasty eye scrapes, protruding bones, life-threatening traumatic brain injuries – the list goes on and on of injuries fighters suffer inside an MMA cage.
However, what amateur fighter Hunter Boone endured Saturday at a regional event – Martial Combat League 3 in Shawnee, Okla. – isn’t something that happens often, or seemingly ever, for that matter.
WARNING: This story contains graphic images and subject matter.
According to various social media posts from those in attendance at FireLake Arena and an additional witness account acquired by MMA Junkie, Boone’s fight against Jordan Brown ended 17 seconds into the first round when he crashed into the cage and suffered a massive laceration (h/t MyMMANews). The fight was ruled a TKO and Brown was declared the winner.
“A few seconds after the bell rung Hunter and his opponent spun into the cage,” Boone’s coach Jason Greer, of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Altus, wrote on his Facebook page. “His opponent had a collar tie and as they hit the fence Hunter’s head slammed into the gate resulting in Hunter suffering a 20 centimeter gash across the front of his hairline from the left to the right, down the right side and towards the back basically scalping him. It knocked him unconscious immediately but he had regained consciousness before he hit the ground.
“Knowing he had just received a fight ending blow he started scrambling from the cocoon with the idea of a triangle. Fighting for the win against all odds! I had no idea in the moment what had even happened after the ref stopped the fight and immediately called for the Doctor. I was so confused and Hunter looked at me and whispered ‘Damnit man… It’s over.’ I rushed in the cage and for the first time I saw how (devastating) his injury was.”
Boone posted about the incident on social media and included graphic images of the severity of the injury. Monday, Boone told MMA Junkie he is doing OK, but still needs a few days to collect himself before he gives his full account of what happened.
Jesse Dalton, a friend and teammate of Boone’s, echoed the fighter’s claim the cage was responsible and also called for the promotion to take accountability for the incident.
“Let’s break this down!!!” Dalton wrote on Facebook. “Fighter Hunter Boone signs, trains, makes weight, goes to fight and gets taken down in the first 10 seconds only to hit an exposed metal bracket on the cage and sustain injury that will change him forever.. and the promotion acts like it’s not their problem??? @martialcombatleague. Also announces it as a win for the opponent… someone call judge Judy. Heal up fast”
While Boone and his team blame a cage malfunction for his injury, the promotion offered a slightly different take. Martial Combat League issued a statement Sunday that said the cage was inspected before the event and after the incident. A witness verified with MMA Junkie commission and promotion officials examined the cage following the conclusion of Boone vs. Brown. Since there were no abnormal findings, the rest of the card was allowed to proceed.
“We’re not sure how or why concerns were brought up about us not taking care of the injured athlete, this certainly is not the case,” Martial Combat League wrote on Facebook. “We take required action and secure proper coverage to make certain qualified injuries occurred are covered prior to every event we promote.”
At the time of publication, MMA Junkie’s request for comment from Citizen Potawatomi Nation Boxing Commission executive director Joey Miller, who oversaw the event, was not returned.
Hunter Boone mutilates head in alleged cage malfunction; promotion unsure of cause
