Final autopsy results inconclusive on South Carolina MMA fighter following August death


http://mmajunkie.com Following a three-month investigation, the Charleston (S.C.) County Coroner’s office has ruled the cause of MMA fighter Tyrone Mims’ death as undetermined.

A complete forensic autopsy, toxicology testing and even genetic testing could not explain why Mims collapsed following a fight and later died, Coroner Rae Wooten told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

“At this point in time, we have exhausted all that we know to do,” Wooten said.

Mims became unresponsive and stopped breathing following his first amateur fight on Aug. 11 in Mount Pleasant, S.C. He died an hour later at an area hospital, according to a report from The Post and Courier, a Charleston-based newspaper.

An initial autopsy proved inconclusive. The coroner’s office hoped more extensive testing, including a detailed toxicology exam, might answer whether drugs or alcohol played a part in his death. According to a police report of the incident, Mims was spotted taking prescription painkiller Percocet prior to the fight. The toxicology report did not reveal the presence of drugs or alcohol.

“We heard that, and we went back and did all kinds of extra testing and we weren’t able to identify that,” Wooten said.

Mims had submitted a blood test, eye exam and a physical prior to being cleared to fight on Aug. 11, the South Carolina Department of Licensing and Regulation stated in a press release following his death. Mims was also given a post-fight exam by a doctor on site.

The SCDLR oversees the South Carolina Athletic Commission, which regulates combat sports in the state.

According to multiple reports, the 30-year-old Mims was dominating his opponent, Blake Poore, before tiring at the end of the first round. He was overwhelmed in the second and lost via second-round TKO.

The coroner’s office said it specifically looked for evidence of a concussion or brain trauma that might have contributed to Mims’ death, but could find none.

“We also have to wonder whether he might have had an irregular heart because of some electrical dysfunction,” Wooten said. “That obviously isn’t seen after death. Once that’s completed, there’s no evidence of that. It’s one of the things we have to consider, and you see this happen sometimes in individuals who are participating in activities that require a lot of exertion.

“There’s just nothing here that explains his death. It’s also important to note that based on what I’ve seen, I don’t know anything that might have been predictive of his death. Granted, I only get to look at the side I get to look at, which is post-mortem. But it’s my understanding that he was in good health and he was well-screened.”


Mims was the second amateur MMA fighter to die in South Carolina. In 2010, amateur fighter Michael Kirkham died of a brain hemorrhage following a knockout loss at an event in Aiken. He had suffered a knockout loss in another bout 32 days prior to his death.

(Pictured: Blake Poore and Tyrone Mims)


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