Jessie Roach is 31 years old and has mental disabilities that are so severe he cannot read and receives disability payments from the federal government. And yet, last month, he was allowed to step into the ring at a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harley-Davidson dealership with a veteran fighter - who drove him to the bout and promised to pay him $50 and give him a medal. Jesse Rowell, a champion jiu jitsu wrestler and veteran mixed martial arts fighter, knocked Roach out in 47 seconds with a savage blow to the head. Blow to the head: This is the moment Jesse Rowell, an experienced fighter and a gym owner, knocked out mentally disabled Jessie Roach with a brutal kick to the head . Roach (left) and Rowell (right) had fought previously in a mixed martial arts match. It ended with Roach being knocked out . Rowell left without giving Roach the medal or cash he promised, Roach says. He was also left with no way home. This is the brutal, cruel world of unregulated amateur kickboxing. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reveals that such fights - unlike boxing and mixed martial arts - are not regulated by the state of Wisconsin. Last March, 24-year-old Dennis Munson Jr. died after being knocked out in his debut kickboxing match at the Milwaukee Eagles Club, the Journal-Sentinel revealed. 'He was basically preyed upon. It is unethical. What is the difference between doing that and using a kid to fight?' Jim Hoegemeier, director of the Arc-Wisconsin Disability Association, told the newspaper. Experts told the newspaper that Roach would never have been allowed to participate in a state-sanctioned fight - and certainly not against the veteran Rowell. Within hours Rowell's fight last month, he posted pictures and video of the knockout blow. He even made the brutal image his Facebook profile picture. Roach's Facebook page also includes pictures of the flight. Roach was never examined by a doctor before the fight - which took place in front of hundreds of cheering fans who paid $80 each to watch fight that evening. He signed a release waiver - but Roach's family says his dyslexia is so severe that he can't read. Someone read the paper to him, but he said he didn't understand. He told the Journal-Sentinel that he thought he was putting his name on a signup sheet. Roach (left) can't read or write. Rowell (right) says the fight was 'just for fun' and wasn't serious . When the time for the fight came, Roach told the newspaper, he thought he would be wrestling. He didn't even know it was a kickboxing match. Rowell met Roach through a mutual friend who had been training Roach in UFC-style fighting in his basement. Rowell has previously fought Roach in a mixed martial arts fight years ago, before the state regulated that, as well. Roach was knocked out in the first round. Rowell, who has owned a kickboxing gym for five years, defended the fight and told the Journal Sentinel that he had no idea that Roach was mentally disabled. 'You gotta remember, people are punch-drunk all the time, so I thought he was just that,' Rowell . 'I didn't sit down and talk to him.' He claimed the bound was 'just for fun' and was meant to be a sparring match, not a real fight. He denies promising Roach cash or a medal, but admits he gave him a ride to the fight. Roach, for his part, got $50 from the fight promoter out of sympathy. But he still wants his medal.
Jesse Rowell owns a kickboxing gym and is a champion jiu jitsu wrestler .
He met Jessie Roach through a friend and drove him to the match .
Roach says he was promised $50 and a medal and thought he and Rowell were just going to wrestle .
Roach, 31, is on disability and cannot read or write. His family says he is mentally disabled .
Kickboxing is not regulated in Wisconsin, where the fight took place .
Jessie Roach is 31 years old and has mental disabilities that are so severe he cannot read and receives disability payments from the federal government. And yet, last month, he was allowed to step into the ring at a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harley-Davidson dealership with a veteran fighter - who drove him to the bout and promised to pay him $50 and give him a medal. Jesse Rowell, a champion jiu jitsu wrestler and veteran mixed martial arts fighter, knocked Roach out in 47 seconds with a savage blow to the head. Blow to the head: This is the moment Jesse Rowell, an experienced fighter and a gym owner, knocked out mentally disabled Jessie Roach with a brutal kick to the head . Roach (left) and Rowell (right) had fought previously in a mixed martial arts match. It ended with Roach being knocked out . Rowell left without giving Roach the medal or cash he promised, Roach says. He was also left with no way home. This is the brutal, cruel world of unregulated amateur kickboxing. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reveals that such fights - unlike boxing and mixed martial arts - are not regulated by the state of Wisconsin. Last March, 24-year-old Dennis Munson Jr. died after being knocked out in his debut kickboxing match at the Milwaukee Eagles Club, the Journal-Sentinel revealed. 'He was basically preyed upon. It is unethical. What is the difference between doing that and using a kid to fight?' Jim Hoegemeier, director of the Arc-Wisconsin Disability Association, told the newspaper. Experts told the newspaper that Roach would never have been allowed to participate in a state-sanctioned fight - and certainly not against the veteran Rowell. Within hours Rowell's fight last month, he posted pictures and video of the knockout blow. He even made the brutal image his Facebook profile picture. Roach's Facebook page also includes pictures of the flight. Roach was never examined by a doctor before the fight - which took place in front of hundreds of cheering fans who paid $80 each to watch fight that evening. He signed a release waiver - but Roach's family says his dyslexia is so severe that he can't read. Someone read the paper to him, but he said he didn't understand. He told the Journal-Sentinel that he thought he was putting his name on a signup sheet. Roach (left) can't read or write. Rowell (right) says the fight was 'just for fun' and wasn't serious . When the time for the fight came, Roach told the newspaper, he thought he would be wrestling. He didn't even know it was a kickboxing match. Rowell met Roach through a mutual friend who had been training Roach in UFC-style fighting in his basement. Rowell has previously fought Roach in a mixed martial arts fight years ago, before the state regulated that, as well. Roach was knocked out in the first round. Rowell, who has owned a kickboxing gym for five years, defended the fight and told the Journal Sentinel that he had no idea that Roach was mentally disabled. 'You gotta remember, people are punch-drunk all the time, so I thought he was just that,' Rowell . 'I didn't sit down and talk to him.' He claimed the bound was 'just for fun' and was meant to be a sparring match, not a real fight. He denies promising Roach cash or a medal, but admits he gave him a ride to the fight. Roach, for his part, got $50 from the fight promoter out of sympathy. But he still wants his medal.
- who drove him to the bout and promised to pay him $50 and give him a medal. Jesse Rowell, a champion jiu jitsu wrestler and veteran mixed mentally disabled Jessie Roach with a brutal kick took place in front of hundreds of cheering fans that he thought he was putting his name on a signup sheet. Roach (left) can't read or write. Rowell (right) says the fight was 'just for fun' kickboxing match. Rowell met Roach through round. Rowell, who has owned a kickboxing gym for