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.”
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“On Thursday 6/8 there was an incident while Cris was training, and he experienced a cardiac arrest. The athletes at the gym were great and immediately called 911 and did their best to address his needs until paramedics arrived.
“He has been under the care of excellent doctors with I and much of his family by his side,” the post continued. “We are all hopeful for the progress we know he will continue to make.”
Lencioni, who is from Portland, Oregon, is a rising star in the featherweight division in Bellator. He was on a four-fight winning streak and boasts an 11-3 record.