Tim Hague’s Opponent Reacts To His Unfortunate Passing

ByDavid Wray

The MMA world was dealt a shocking blow last weekend when UFC veteran Tim Hague passed away from complications of a brain injury suffered in a second-round defeat to heavyweight Adam Braidwood in a boxing match last Friday from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The 34-year-old Braidwood had largely remained quiet on the situation until he spoke out in an interview with CTV News late last night (Mon., June 19, 2017), in which he described a scene where he knew Hague, who had been knocked out weeks prior, had suffered serious harm:

“I knew in the ring,” he said. “I just saw the way he fell.”

Hague accepted the fight with Braidwood on short notice, a testament to his will to fight given Braidwood is the top-ranked heavyweight in Canada. For reasons not yet revealed, the three knockdown was rule was not in effect that night, and the commission that governs boxing in Alberta has declined to elaborate on the heart-wrenching scene according to CTV.

Braidwood also detailed that he was hoping Hague or the referee would stop the fight, but his opponent’s warrior spirit kept him fighting until the end for better or worse:

“I’ll be honest with you. I was like, ‘It’s time to stop this fight. I was hoping Tim would stop it himself. If he doesn’t than we have to finish it until it is done.’ It is nobody’s fault,” he said.

“Tim was still there and he said he wanted to keep fighting and so that’s what happened,” Braidwood said. “He wanted to keep fighting so we kept fighting.”

Understandably troubled by the fight, Braidwood described his post-fight celebration as “stupid” and Hague as a “kind-hearted guy and a warrior to the end,” and said that he had talked to his family, where they told him it wasn’t his fault. He then shifted his focus to a GoFundMe page started to pay for Hague’s funeral and other expenses, which raised $20,000 of its $30,000 goal in less than 24 hours. He urged supporters and fans to donate to the account in this emotional video posted on Twitter:

With Hague’s passing obviously weighing on his shoulders, Braidwood said all anyone could do now was help Hague’s family in a time of dire need:

“I just want everybody to help Tim’s family. That is what this should be about. Instead of leaving a comment, contact his family. Help them any way you can. Let’s try to leave it at that. Nobody wanted this.”

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