“My brother” - UFC fighter’s touching message to Cris Lencioni during ICU battle and GoFundMe campaign
Bellator fighter Cris Lencioni is currently in the intensive care unit after collapsing at the gym on June 8. Former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen, who now operates as an analyst for Bellator, took to Twitter to share Lencioni's GoFundMe link, stating:
"Sunshine got his nickname because he’s always in a bright and cheerful mood. This is a young man who prepared his whole life for a fight and it appears he just found one. Please consider helping the family in this time of need. It will be considered a personal favor."
UFC lightweight contender Terrance McKinney responded to the tweet by describing Lencioni's work ethic:
"My brother 😢 one of the best guys I know runs his own gym near Portland and drives all the way up to Spokane to train with us just to turn around and go back and work at his gym that man has a work ethic and he’s super talented 💯"
Check out Chael Sonnen's tweet and Terrance McKinney's response below:
Sunshine got his nickname because he’s always in a bright and cheerful mood. This is a young man who prepared his whole life for a fight and it appears he just found one.
Please consider helping the family in this time of need. It will be considered a personal favor.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/lJhk9GOfat
one of the best guys I know runs his own gym near Portland and drives all the way up to Spokane to train with us just to turn around and go back and work at his gym that man has a work ethic and he’s super talented 
@ChaelSonnen @BrendanSchaub @CrisSunshineMMA @BellatorMMA My brother 😢 one of the best guys I know runs his own gym near Portland and drives all the way up to Spokane to train with us just to turn around and go back and work at his gym that man has a work ethic and he’s super talented 💯
It is unclear what caused Lencioni to suffer cardiac arrest. The featherweight contender, who holds a professional mixed martial arts record of 10-3, had been scheduled to face James Gallagher on August 11. He is currently on a four-fight win streak that dates back to last April.
What has been reported about Cris Lencioni's cardiac arrest?
Amy Kaplan of FanSided MMA first broke the news of Cris Lencioni's cardiac arrest in a tweet that has been deleted and reposted. On June 10, Kaplan tweeted:
"BREAKING: I am hearing that Cris Lencioni suffered a medical emergency after collapsing in the gym yesterday. A family source says he's in a coma, but a gym source says he just needed fluids, no coma. Cris is scheduled to fight James Gallagher on Aug. 11"
Kaplan noted that she took the tweet down due to a request from Lencioni's family.
Check out Amy Kaplan's tweet below:
Since this has now been confirmed by Bellator and Chael, I'll re-share what I had initially reported on 6/10, then asked by family to remove. twitter.com/PhotoAmy33/sta… https://t.co/6XzSkgHexu
While it is unclear what led to the cardiac arrest, Lencioni remains in ICU, according to a GoFundMe campaign that was created six hours ago, which states:
"On June 8th Cris suffered a cardiac arrest. As you can imagine this was completely unexpected considering he is only 28 and in peak physical condition. Cris is currently in the ICU in his biggest fight yet. We believe in the goodness of God, and we don’t know anyone with more will, strength, and determination than Cris. Cris has already overcome so much in his life, and we have faith in his ability to overcome any obstacle."
Here's a link to Cris Lencioni's GoFundMe.