Former MMA fighter nicknamed 'The Ironman' 'kills himself' aged 44 in prison a day after agreeing to plead guilty to child porn charges
- Travis Fulton was found unresponsive in his cell in Linn County Jail in Iowa
- The fighter had pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and sex charges
- The 44-year-old fought in a record 320 sanctioned fights and fought in UFC
Former MMA fighter Travis Fulton has killed himself in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a minor.
The 44-year-old, who was nicknamed 'The Ironman', was found in his cell on Saturday in Linn County Jail in Iowa.
The fighter had been held since February and was indicted by a federal grand jury for felony sexual exploitation charges and the receiving and possessing of child pornography.
Former MMA fighter Travis Fulton killed himself in prison after pleading guilty to a sex act with a 13-year-old girl and possession of child pornography
In one of the cases, he was accused of convincing a 13-year-old girl to meditate with him before stripping her down to her underwear and performing a sex act on her after allegedly putting her in a trance.
A second girl also made allegations against the mixed martial artist. He is also accused of taking photographs of the girls.
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Fulton was found unresponsive during a routine cell check at 4am and he was transferred to Mercy Medical Center.
Medics attempted CPR but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The 44-year-old (left), who was nicknamed 'The Ironman', was found in his cell on Saturday in Linn County Jail in Iowa
Just a day before his death, 'The Ironman' had agreed to plead guilty to two of the four charges relating to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography.
His defense team had challenged a search warrant which led to the seizure of his electronic devices where investigators found the pornographic images.
Judges ruled in favor of the government and upheld the searches in a verdict on Thursday.
On Friday, Fulton filed a notice saying he intended to plead guilty to all charges and a plea hearing had been scheduled for July 23.
The fighter was also charged with repeatedly punching a woman in the head and threatening to kill her in September 2019 in Black Hawk County, Iowa.
Fulton (pictured in red shorts), who was also a professional boxer, fought in mixed martial arts since 1996 and was involved in a record 320 fights including two UFC bouts
Fulton, who was also a professional boxer, fought in mixed martial arts since 1996 and was involved in a record 320 fights, including two UFC bouts.
When questioned over the sex act with a 13-year-old, he initially admitted the meditation but denied any touching took place.
He told investigators he had previously been accused of rape 'because people know who he is', court records show.
The death is under investigation and an autopsy will be performed.
