MMA star who suffered brain damage from cardiac arrest is now ‘making progress’

MMA star Cristopher Lencioni is awake and responding to stimuli three weeks after he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest while training.

The Bellator featherweight was rushed to hospital by paramedics who used a defibrillator on him on June 8 – he was then released from the ICU on Friday (June 24).

The 28-year-old, who was due to be fighting at Bellator 298 in a now cancelled August bout, has been watched closely for progress by doctors and his wife Marca.

MMA Fighting now report that the fighter, nicknamed Sunshine, smiled and removed his hand from a bag of ice on Tuesday (June 29).

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Marca had said: "Because he was so, so healthy when this happened and is young and an athlete, they’re not really sure what’s gonna happen.

"The brain is complex, and because of where he’s at, they don’t know and they can’t say. Even the neurologist, she’s like: 'I can’t give you a definite answer, because it’s gonna be up to him'.

"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."

Lencioni has a professional record of 11-3 and is on a four-fight win streak including Bellator wins over Cody Law and Blake Smith.

A larger than life character, Lencioni has walked out to the Pokemon theme song while delighting fans with his hard to predict technique in the cage.

Lencioni also regularly post snaps with his young son on Instagram, as well as showing off his tattoos and life in training.

A GoFundMe page has been created on behalf of Marca with a target of $250,000 (££197,000) to help pay for medical costs.

A total of 789 donations have been made as of Thursday morning (June 29), with $50,000 (£39,000) already raised.

To donate,click this link.

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