The mixed martial arts world suffered another loss on Saturday [June 11] as news got around about the shooting death of 25-year-old Ivan "J.P." Cole in a North Dallas apartment.  Reports from police reveal that Cole was shot at approx 7:30 a.m. on the 13700 block of Montfort Dr.  He is said to have taken the bullet during a game of Russian roulette, although authorities have not established whether the wound was self inflicted or he was the victim of an attack.
Cole was yet to have made a name for himself before Saturday, winning two of his five professional fights over the past four years. And he had found himself on a destructive path as early last September, with the Texas Combative Sports Advisory Board suspended his license for a year for unsportsmanlike conduct.  He was also ordered to pay $5,000. But his impact as a fighter carried beyond the combat, as he also made a living as an MMA instructor.  But his public persona in his local Dallas neighborhood brought out the very best of him, as not only a fighter among fighters, but an instructor of MMA for youth.
His students at the Saekson Muay Thai studio in Plano were some of the first to come out and share condolences over the sudden tragedy.  Widow and mother of Cole's 4-year-old daughter Kymberli Cole has since created a GoFundMe page in order to raise money for a proper funeral, and to contribute towards meeting immediate expenses for his struggling family.
“Some say it was about money, someone said something about Russian Roulette, but I don’t have any facts now,” said Cole’s mother, Kimberly.  “I’m a bit devastated at this time.”
Source: crimeblog.dallasnews.comArticle Image: MMA Fighter Dies Playing Russian Roulette