CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A mixed martial arts fighter hanged himself in an Iowa jail cell, less than 24 hours after he pleaded guilty to two of four federal child pornography charges, authorities and court records confirmed.
Travis Jon “Ironman” Fulton, 44, was identified Sunday as the inmate found unresponsive early Saturday in a dormitory-style cell at the Linn County Jail, The Gazette in Cedar Rapids reported.
Jail staff discovered Fulton’s body just before 4 a.m. and attempted lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at an area hospital about an hour later, KWWL reported.
A formal autopsy is pending, the TV station reported.
Fulton, of Parkersburg, Iowa, had been held in the Linn County Jail since his Feb. 19 arrest by the U.S. Marshals Service on charges he enticed a girl under the age of 18 to engage in sexual behavior, which he photographed over the course of several years. A federal grand jury expanded the scope of Fulton’s indictment in March to include a second victim, also a girl under the age of 18, The Gazette reported, citing court records.
Fulton also faced charges of receiving and possessing child pornography, KWWL reported.
In court papers filed Friday, however, Fulton agreed to plead guilty to one of the two exploitation counts, as well as the possession of child porn count. His body was discovered hours later, The Gazette reported.
It was not immediately clear to which of the two exploitation counts Fulton pleaded guilty, but one occurred between June 2013 and April 2020, while the other occurred around November 2020, the newspaper reported.
Fulton held the MMA record for career professional fights with 320, dating to 1996, ESPN reported.