Lencioni out of intensive care after heart attack

Cris Lencioni's wife Marca says he is "a fighter in all senses"

Bellator fighter Cris Lencioni is awake and responding to stimuli following a heart attack on 8 June.

The 28-year-old American fell ill while training for a fight against James Gallagher at Bellator 298, which has now been cancelled.

His wife told MMA Fighting that her husband had suffered brain damage.

He is receiving treatment in hospital in Spokane, Washington, and Marca said Lencioni is in a "state of disordered consciousness".

"The neurologists were basically like, 'We have to wait to see what he can do and what he shows us,'" Marca said.

"Because he was so, so healthy when this happened and is young and an athlete, they're not really sure what's going to happen. The brain is complex, and because of where he's at, they don't know and they can't say. Even the neurologist, she's like, 'I can't give you a definite answer, because it's going to be up to him'.

"If anybody can come out of something like this, it's him. He's a fighter in all senses. It's not just in the ring."

The Bellator fighter is without health insurance, and a Go Fund Me page set up for him currently has over $46,000 in donations.