Bellator’s Cris Lencioni in ICU after suffering cardiac arrest, family says

The family of Cris Lencioni says the Bellator featherweight is in “his biggest fight yet” after he suffered a cardiac arrest June 8.

Questions were raised about Lencioni after FanSided’s Amy Kaplan originally tweeted June 10 that he collapsed at his gym while training, adding that she received conflicting information from a family member claiming Lencioni was in a coma and a teammate stating his condition was far less serious. Kaplan later deleted the tweet.

Further questions were raised Sunday by Chael Sonnen, a longtime Lencioni training partner, after he posted a video on YouTube saying Lencioni needed prayers.

The severity of Lencioni’s health status was confirmed Monday by his mother-in-law, Angela Hibbard, who wrote in a GoFundMe message that he was in intensive care after suffering a cardiac arrest.

“As you can imagine, this was completely unexpected considering he is only 28 and in peak physical condition,” Hibbard wrote. “Cris is currently in the ICU in his biggest fight yet. We believe in the goodness of God, and we don’t know anyone with more will, strength, and determination than Cris. Cris has already overcome so much in his life, and we have faith in his ability to overcome any obstacle.”

In a statement to MMA Junkie, a Bellator official said the promotion was “aware of Cris Lencioni’s current medical condition and monitoring the situation closely. We ask you to join us in sending thoughts and prayers to Cris and his family as he navigates his recovery process.”

Lencioni (11-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) is scheduled to fight James Gallagher on Aug. 11 at Bellator 298, although the matchup figures to be in jeopardy under the current circumstances.

Lencioni is on a four-fight winning streak, including two victories in his return to Bellator. He took a split decision from Cody Law last December, then submitted Blake Smith with an inverted triangle choke this past April at Bellator 294.