Travis Fulton, man with most MMA fights, dead after apparent suicide in jail cell
The man with the most recorded mixed martial arts bouts in history has died.
Travis Fulton was found dead in his jail cell early Saturday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as a result of an apparent suicide, according to a release from the Linn County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Office.
During a routine cell sweep by prison workers, Fulton, 44, was found hanging at approximately 4 a.m. local time. Attempts to resuscitate Fulton, including CPR, were unsuccessful. Fulton was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead around 5 a.m. local time. The sheriff’s office said the death is under investigation and the state medical examiner will conduct an autopsy.
Fulton was facing charges of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child, but court papers filed this past Friday, the day before Fulton was found in his cell, revealed he agreed to plead guilty to two of the four charges against him, The Gazette reported – one of the exploitation charges and possession of child pornography. A federal judge canceled Fulton’s trial date and set a plea hearing date of July 23.
Fulton was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, possession of child pornography and receipt of child pornography in February.
The charges, according to The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, allege Fulton attempted to recruit a minor to engage in taking sexually explicit photographs in November 2020. Fulton was also accused of possessing a flash drive with pornography featuring a minor under the age of 12.
Fulton was awaiting trial for domestic assault charges from a September 2019 incident in which he was accused of hitting and threatening a woman. The woman suffered multiple injuries and required medical treatment. But Jan. 28, Fulton and the woman were detained when they were spotted together at Isle Casino Hotel in Iowa in violation of a restraining order.
Fulton is known in MMA for the unparalleled length of his professional career. According to Tapology, Fulton (257-55-10) competed in 323 pro MMA fights since July 1996. He most recently fought in MMA in April 2019 when he defeated Shannon Ritch at Road to M-1 USA 2.
Some notable opponents over Fulton’s career include Jeremy Horn, Vladimir Matyushenko, Dan Severn, Matt Lindland, Ricco Rodriguez, Renato Sobral, Evan Tanner, Rich Franklin, Ben Rothwell, Forrest Griffin, Wes Sims, Travis Wiuff, Jeff Monson, Andrei Arlovski and Serghei Spivac. He fought twice in the UFC in 1999 and also fought on the first WEC card.
