MMA fighter Cris Lencioni suffered brain damage after going into cardiac arrest, wife reveals

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MMA fighter Cris Lencioni has been released from an ICU after having a heart attack earlier this month while training for an upcoming Bellator match, his wife revealed recently. She said the rising star suffered brain damage as a result. 

In an interview with MMA Fighting this week, Marca Lencioni spoke of her husband’s lengthy road to recovery after his cardiac arrest June 8 while training in Washington for an August fight that has since been canceled. 

Cris Lencioni and Blake Smith fight in a featherweight bout during Bellator 294 April 21, 2023, at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. (Matt Davies/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"The neurologists were basically like, ‘We have to wait to see what he can do and what he shows us,’" Marca Lencioni told the outlet. "Because he was so, so healthy when this happened and is young and an athlete, they’re not really sure what’s gonna happen."

RISING MMA STAR CRIS LENCIONI IN ICU AFTER CARDIAC ARREST; FAMILY SAYS HE'S 'IN HIS BIGGEST FIGHT YET'

She explained that an MRI later revealed Lencioni sustained brain damage as a result, adding that he was in a state of disordered consciousness when he was released from the ICU Friday. 

"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."

Cris Lencioni makes weight ahead of Bellator 289 Dec. 9, 2022, at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. (Matt Davies/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty