Chase Haley beat Riine LeComte, of Rotorua, to win the New Zealand International Sport Kickboxing Association pro super-cruiserweight belt at Balclutha’s Battle at the Bridge II on Saturday night.
However, rather than celebrating the win, Mr Haley was "devastated" and "heartbroken" after the fight, when he learnt Mr LeComte was in Dunedin Hospital having major brain surgery.
Event organiser Robert Ngari-Dean said Mr LeComte seemed fine after the fight.
"The doctor gave him a post-fight check and everything was normal."
Mr LeComte attended a large celebration party but only had one drink before leaving.
"He went back to his hotel and went and saw his coach and told him he wasn’t feeling so good."
The coach took him to a medical centre in Balclutha and Mr LeComte was put in a St John ambulance and taken to Dunedin Hospital.
"On the way, they had to stop in Waihola because he started having seizures," Mr Ngari-Dean said.
When he got to Dunedin, doctors found he had a bleed on the left side of his brain.
He had surgery, which involved removing part of his skull, to fix the bleed.
Mr Ngari-Dean said if Mr LeComte had gone straight to bed instead of seeking help, he probably would have died.
He said Mr LeComte was still in the intensive care unit, but was responding well to treatment and the prognosis was good.
"We’re not out of the woods, but we’re on the right track."
He said the incident was rare and he had only seen it happen in New Zealand once before.
However, competitors still had to sign waivers for this kind of injury before entering the ring.
Yesterday, Mr Haley said he and Mr LeComte were good friends, and the incident had forced him to reassess his future in the sport.
"Every time we step into the ring, it’s a risk we take.
"I always pray and have my karakia before each fight, to make sure everyone goes home safe to their families.
"But in this instance, it hasn’t happened. This has given me the biggest fright of my life.
"It’s just changed my whole outlook on everything.
"I need to figure out where to go from here, because the last thing I ever want to do is go through this again from my side or Riine’s side."
A Givealittle page has been set up and Mr Haley has helped supply accommodation, vehicles and food for Mr LeComte’s family, who have travelled down from Rotorua to be at his bedside.
"I’m doing anything it takes just to make this process a little more comfortable for them."
