Longtime MMA Veteran Travis Fulton Found Dead in Prison of Apparent Suicide

Travis Fulton, who amassed more than 300 fights during his mixed martial arts career, was found dead on Saturday morning at Linn County Jail in Iowa.

According to a release from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Fulton is believed to have committed suicide by hanging himself. Fulton, 44, was discovered by staff members in his cell block around 4 a.m. local time and was transported to Mercy Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 5 a.m.

Fulton was indicted in February by a federal grand jury on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, possession of child porn and receipt of child porn. According to court records, Fulton allegedly attempted to engage a minor in sexual conduct with hopes of taking photos of the encounter this past November. Additionally, Fulton is accused of possessing a flash drive with pornographic images of a child under 12 years of age between November 2018 and November 2020.

According to a report from The Gazette, Fulton on Friday agreed to plead guilty to two of the four charges: one of the exploitation charges and possession of child porn. He was scheduled for a plea hearing on July 23.

According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Fulton’s death is still under investigation, and an autopsy will be conducted by the state medical examiner. The Sheriff’s Office will not release details regarding how the hanging occurred for safety and security reasons.

Fulton has amassed a prolific record of 255-54-10 with one no contest over the course of a professional MMA career that began in 1996. The Parkersburg, West Virginia, resident last fought on April 4, 2019, defeating Shannon Ritch via forearm choke in the second round. During his fighting tenure, Fulton has squared off against the likes of Andrei Arlovski, Jeff Monson, Ricco Rodriguez, Ben Rothwell, Joe Riggs, Jeremy Horn, Forrest Griffin, Dan Severn, Rich Franklin, Evan Tanner, Heath Herring and Renato Sobral, to name a few.

Update: The inmate is identified as Travis Jon Fulton (age 44) of Parkersburg, IA. Fulton had been in custody since February 19, 2021. He was being confined as a hold for the US Marshal’s Service. https://t.co/bDpbDYvyyn

— LinnCountySheriff (@LinnIASheriff) July 11, 2021