A young Chinese mixed martial arts (MMA) exponent who was due to fight last night died before he could take to the ring.

In a Facebook post, his scheduled opponent for the One Championship flyweight bout, Filipino Geje Eustaquio, said that Yang Jian Bing, 21, "didn't make weight and he was rushed to the hospital due to dehydration and possible heat stroke".

The pair had been due to appear in the "Spirit of Champions" event in Manila.

In a statement, also posted on Facebook, One Championship chief executive officer, Victor Cui said that Yang died yesterday afternoon and that the cause of death is still being determined.

He added: "We will work closely with the family and offer all the support they need in any way we can during this very difficult time."

According to MMAjunkie.com, One Championship had released a statement on its website announcing the tragedy.

The statement said that Yang had collapsed suddenly on Thursday morning and had been taken to the San Juan De Dios Hospital in Pasay.

While the official cause of death has yet to be revealed, Eustaquio's quote linked the tragedy to a practice in the sport known as "weight cutting", in which a fighter attempts to shed the weight needed to make a specific class by dehydrating himself before the weigh-in.