The 23-year-old MMA fighter dies after being hit in the head during a kickboxing match amid organizers’ investigation into “negligence”.

An MMA fighter has died after being hit in the head during a kickboxing championship bout.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the organizers of the competition after 23-year-old kickboxer Nikhil Suresh died on Wednesday.

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Horror footage shows how the athlete was hit in the face by his opponent last Sunday.

The referee then declares the end of the fight while Nikhil lays her down motionless.

Panicked onlookers rushed to Nikhil’s aid and he was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries four days later.

Nikhil, who started kickboxing two years ago, competed in a state-level K-1 kickboxing championship organized by the K-1 Kickboxing Association of Karnataka.

His devastated father complained to the police about his son’s death, accusing the organizers of negligence.

Cops visited the venue, the Rapid Fitness Gym in Jnanabharati, on Friday, the Times of India reports.

A police source told the outlet: “The on-site inspection will play a crucial role in proving or disproving allegations of negligence by the organizers, as alleged by Nikhil’s father.”

Cops say event organizer Naveen Ravishankar is still missing.

Nikhil’s grieving coach Vikram Nagaraj described the young sports star as a “beautiful soul” in an emotional tribute.

He said: “It is with deep sadness that I bear the burden of delivering the terrible news that we have all dreaded.

“My boy Nikhil decided to hang up his gloves today.

“In spite of the best medical care, his beautiful soul left us behind in the early hours of the morning after a hard fight.

“He will be etched in our hearts and memories forever. I am incredibly saddened by my loss.

“Today I lost a son. We pray almighty to give us all enough strength to endure the unbearable. My sincerest condolences.”

Dubbed as the next big thing in MMA in India, Nikhil recently competed in the 6th MMA Open Championship in Karnataka after competing in the 5th MMA India Nationals in Madhya Pradesh.

It comes after another MMA fighter, 22-year-old Lucas Gabriel Peres, died after suffering a head injury during a competition in Brazil.

Meanwhile, talented jiu-jitsu fighter Mateus Fernandes, 22, died after being knocked out at an MMA event, also in Brazil, after suffering four heart attacks.

In another tragedy, a kickboxer who died after being KO’d by a “much bigger” competitor was “unadapted” by the fight’s organizers, her family claims.

Saeideh Aletaha, 26, died after suffering a blow to the head in the third round of her fight with opponent Janie Morgan at Southampton, Hants in 2019.