Muhammad Ali’s son-in-law Kevin Casey records split draw at UFC 199
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kevin Casey stepped into the octagon Saturday with a heavy heart for his father-in-law and boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who passed away on Friday night.
Casey, who’s married to Ali’s daughter, Hana, recorded a split decision draw in his match against Elvis Mutapcic during UFC 199 at The Forum.
Before the bout, Casey considered pulling from the fight to be with his family.
“It’s a lot to go through before a fight,” Casey said. “Thank you guys for the support. God bless my family.”
Casey wasn’t available for further comment after the fight. He was transported to the hospital for injury procedure.
The middleweight veteran had a fast start and managed a takedown in the first round, but looked winded the following two rounds.
The judges scored the fight 29-28 for Casey, 29-28 for Mutapcic and 28-28 for the split draw.
“Muhammad Ali is the greatest of all time and that’s his father-in-law,” Mutapcic said. “I feel like Kevin had a little more to prove because he married into the family and he was going to want to make a statement. I knew it was going to be rough at first and that I’d have to pick it up in the second.
“I was a little too eager and he did a good job of not giving me any space. He did a lot of damage in the first, but he didn’t do any in the second or third.”
Ali, the former world heavyweight champion, died in a Phoenix-area hospital at age 74 from respiratory issues after battling Parkinson’s disease for the better part of three decades.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow him on Twitter:@gmanzano24
