THE FATHER of the other competitor involved in the fight which resulted in the death of MMA fighter Joao Carvalho has spoken out in his son’s defence.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1′s Liveline programme, Charlie Ward’s father, Charles Ward Senior, says his son should not have to accept any of the blame for the tragedy, after Carvalho was hospitalised and later died following his TKO loss at Saturday’s Total Extreme Fighting MMA event at the National Stadium in Dublin.

“He didn’t go out to kill anyone,” he said of the Irish fighter. “He went out to win his fight, but the referee could have been in a bit quicker.”

Ward explained that he hadn’t seen a video of the fight yet and wasn’t present at the event, but recalled the words of his son following the bout: ”No way were those punches hard. No way was I hitting him hard.”

Asked how the family was handling the tragedy, Ward added: “His mother is in bits.”

You can listen to the full interview here.

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