According to his family, the MMA fighter 'had an infection in his lung, pneumonia causing his right lung to collapse, oxygen levels at 50 which caused his brain to swell' after the surgery.
- August 31, 2021
AceShowbiz - Kyle "Boom" Reyes passed away on Monday, August 30. According to his family, the MMA fighter, who had competed in several regional MMA promotions, underwent surgery a little over one week before his sudden passing. He was 30 years old.
According to a GoFundMe page organized by his family, the athlete "underwent surgery to repair a torn bicep and broken hand" on August 20. The 30-year-old, who lost to current UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski in 2014, was then found unresponsive in his room the following day, and was rushed to the hospital.
"As most of you may have heard our brother Kyle 'BOOM' Reyes is in the ICU in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was found unresponsive Saturday night in his room," the site read. His family also revealed that "his health went downhill, and we almost lost him."
Offering more details, the family noted that "the doctors had found out he had an infection in his lung, pneumonia causing his right lung to collapse, oxygen levels at 50 which caused his brain to swell." They then explained that the infection had spread to both of his lungs.
Kyle's family said that one-week post-surgery, he was still in the ICU and on the ventilator though he "no longer has pneumonia and his organs are healing and doing their jobs." His family then claimed that he's "more stable" on August 27. Unfortunately, he passed away three days later.
Following his passing, fellow MMA fighter Dan Ige turned to his Instagram page to express his grief. "I'm at a loss for words. You made everyone around you better. Rest in love brother [love]," he wrote alongside a photo of him with Kyle.
MMA coach Eric Nicksick also shared a heartfelt tribute via Instagram. "Sometimes things don't make sense in life. There's small reminders every day, and then there's the ones that hit you with a hammer. Reminding you the fragility of life, and how important it is to cherish each moment we have," he captioned his post that included a series of photos of him and Kyle.
"When I think of the word 'Teammate', I think of you, Kyle Reyes," Eric added. "One of the guys we could always count on to be there, now it's our turn to be there for you and your family. Rest easy, my brother."
