Justin Thornton died two months shy of his 39th birthday. Thornton, a fighter who amassed a career MMA record of 6-18 between 2008 and 2020, participated in the August 20, BKFC 20 fight card. Dillon Cleckler knocked out Thornton in 19 seconds in that bout. MMA Fighting reported that Thornton was partially paralyzed after the stoppage. The Mississippi born fighter remained in the hospital for several weeks after the bout to deal with an infection from a spinal cord injury. Thornton died on October 3.
BKFC President David Feldman released a brief statement on Thornton’s death (per MMA Fighting).