Memorial for MMA fighter draws hundreds in rural Alberta town

Close to 300 people packed a community centre in Boyle, Alta., Monday to celebrate the life of mixed martial arts fighter and boxer Tim Hague. 

Hague, 34, was injured in the boxing ring June 16 after being knocked out by opponent Adam Braidwood. He died two days later from a brain injury.

The community hall was covered with flowers, photos of Hague and MMA posters commemorating his career.

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Although Hague taught lived in Edmonton and taught in nearby Beaumont, his body was brought back to his hometown of Boyle so residents could pay their respects. 

"It was a day of tears and laughter," one woman said Monday. "He should still be here."

Hague was many things — a teacher, a fighter, a father and a friend.

Family members said they were "overwhelmed" with phone calls of support from Hague's fans and friends around the world.

A friend and teacher

Hague temporarily postponed his teaching career to start training as an MMA fighter in 2006. Between 2006 and 2011, he compiled a 21-13 MMA record and gained the nickname "Thrashing Machine."

After five years, Hague stepped away from the MMA world to heal from a concussion. He turned to boxing after his last MMA fight in 2016.

Longtime fight fan Terry Hills met Hague while he was training for a match in the local MMA circuit. Hills, wearing a "Thrashing Machine" T-shirt, posed for pictures with Hague.

After that, the two became good friends. Hague and Hills had plans to go fishing together with their sons this summer. 

"What I'm going to miss most about Tim was his larger-than-life personality," he said after the memorial. "He has a bigger heart than his stature." 

Hague had been teaching at École Bellevue elementary school in Beaumont at the time of his death. It was his first year as a full-time fourth-grade teacher.

Some of his students were among those at the memorial.

Parent Tanya Miller-Zarb Meyn said her son Seth Allan, 10, and his fellow classmates commemorated their teacher at the school on Friday. 

The Edmonton Combative Sports Commission says it will hire a third-party investigator to review Hague's death.