Cris Lencioni is in a situation that no athlete would like to ever be in their career. The 28-year-old is a fairly successful MMA fighter for where he was prior to his health-related setback. For fans unaware, Cris was riding the wave of a 4-fight win streak, including two stellar submissions. His most recent win came over Blake Smith at Bellator 294 via a rare inverted triangle choke.
Cris Lencioni with the inverted triangle choke on Blake Smith!
— Combat Sports Today 📰 (@CSTodayNews) April 22, 2023
‘Sunshine’ is considered an ascending talent. So far, the 11-3 fighter has drawn a considerable amount of attention from the MMA world. Fans were eager for a matchup between him and Ireland’s own, James Gallagher, who many believe emulates Conor McGregor. However, it has since been scrapped due to Cris’ medical condition. So what exactly happened to a young prospect at the mere age of 28 years? Let’s find out.
What actually happened to Cris Lencioni?
Cris Lencioni, an MMA fighter climbing the ranks, is now fighting for his life. The 28-year-old Bellator featherweight suffered a cardiac arrest while training on June 8 for his Gallagher fight. With this, he became the latest pro-fighter to suffer an abrupt health scare.
Per his wife Marca Lencioni’s interview with MMA Fighting, Cris collapsed and went into cardiac arrest at a gym during a jiu-jitsu exercise. His teammates informed her that paramedics reached over in 5-6 minutes. They used a defibrillator at least twice before taking him to a local hospital.
Since then, Cris Lencioni has remained under the constant care of health officials. A subsequent MRI revealed that the Bellator veteran suffered brain damage due to the heart attack, Marca shared. This past Friday, Cris was removed from the ICU. And according to his wife, Cris is “in a state of disordered consciousness,” which often results from traumatic brain injury.
Unfortunately, Cris’s ordeal isn’t the first time a Bellator athlete has been affected by health-related issues. Not too long ago, Rafael Lovato Jr. was forced to retire early due to cerebral cavernoma.
Another incident that unfortunately rendered a boxer unable to compete again is one about the 30-year-old boxer, Prichard Colon. After several shots to the back of the head in his match against Terrel Williams, Colon has remained in an almost vegetative state for the last few years.
What is the situation surrounding Lencioni’s current medical condition?
Marca said in the aforementioned interview that the doctors are unsure how Cris’ recovery will unfold. The 28-year-old has previously struggled to respond to stimuli. But fortunately, a recent clip shared by his wife shows a glimmer of hope for Cris and his well-wishers.
As per the video, Lencioni responds with a smile after being kissed by Marca. He also moves his hand, which is a sign of progress in what could be a long road to recovery. Doctors continue to search for positive signs he is returning to normal.
Bellator fighter Cris Lencioni, who was hospitalized earlier this month after suffering cardiac arrest, is beginning to respond to stimuli.
The latest on Lencioni from @MMAFightingSM 📰 https://t.co/fE2sptdwrG pic.twitter.com/6fRNXKCy1d
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 28, 2023
During a visit on Tuesday, ‘Sunshine’ smiled and took his hand out of a bag of ice. Marca added, “Because he was so, so healthy when this happened and is young and an athlete, they (neurologists) aren’t really sure what’s gonna happen.”
“If anybody can come out of something like this, it’s him. He’s a fighter in all senses – it’s not just in the ring,” she said. As outwardly healthy Cris appears, the doctors believe Long QT syndrome may have caused the attack. It is a potentially deadly heart rhythm disorder that was allegedly not flagged in a route EKG in 2019.
Marca explained, “The bottom two chambers (of his heart) weren’t pumping correctly, and his (heart rhythm) was really high.” She also said Cris had no drugs in his system and was healthy at the time of the cardiac arrest. Despite being under heavy sedation, Cris Lencioni has tried to stand up under his power in the hospital.
“Ten percent of people survive this, and the fact that he is moving, and trying to get up and like doing what he’s been doing … he drank water today for the first time,” Marca said. “It’s blowing (the nurses’) minds, and it’s blowing my mind.”
Marca Lencioni is hopeful for her husband’s recovery
Now that Cris Lencioni is out of the ICU, doctors want to transfer the Bellator fighter to a long-term care facility in Idaho. However, the cost of medical care has led his wife to ask the MMA community for help. A GoFundMe page has been set up on Cris’ behalf and so far has raised almost $55,215 of its $250,000 goal.
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That looks a like a drop in the bucket for the ultimate cost. Just three weeks into his hospitalization, Marca said her husband’s bill totaled over $300,000. “I’m hoping that he’ll be able to get state insurance that will help cover some of the bills here,” she shared. “I’m ready to sell my house if I have to, to get him treatment in another country.”
As to whether ‘Sunshine’ will ever fight again, Marca doesn’t rule out anything. She added, “If anybody can come out of something like this, it would be him,” she said. “So I’m not gonna put limitations on what it is possible for him to do or not to do because he’s been proving the doctors wrong every single day since this has happened.”
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Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, a long-time training partner of Cris, took to social media asking everyone to help Cris in any form they can. Kevin Lee, who had once competed against Cris, also shared that he and his teammates are pulling in for Lencioni’s recovery.
