Fight promoter, Shane Cripps, son, 2 others die during canoe trip in Canada
Sad news coming out of Manitoba, Canada. Fight promoter Shane Cripps, 44, his 14-year-old son, Dylan, his friend, Conor Sykes, 33, and Sykes’ six-year-old son, Liam, all died in a canoeing trip, May 22.
All four were wearing life jackets according to Royal Canadian Mountain Police. Their bodies were recovered by a rescue crew. They put their canoe into the wide part of the river on the east side of the causeway off Highway 391 and when they didn’t return Cripps’ wife Li put a post on social media asking for help.
Thompson Fire and Emergency responded, sending paramedics in wet-suits to the site where the four had put in. Manitoba Hydro responded with a helicopter to put an eye in the sky. A private boat found the bodies around 6:30 p.m.
Cripps was the promoter of the mixed martial arts organization Throwdown In T-Town.
The northern Manitoba MMA organization, was scheduled to promote the first mixed martial arts card in the Keystone Province in almost three years until its owner suddenly and tragically passed away.
Manitoba has not hosted a mixed martial arts event since September 2014. Mercenary Combat League, a pro organization based in the Keystone Province, is set to host its first event this fall in Winnipeg.
