SANTA ANA, Calif. — A mixed martial arts fighter who was reported to have died overnight by some media outlets has come forward to prove that he's alive.

Kimo Leopoldo, a 41-year-old former Hawai‘i resident who once fought in the UFC, said at a press conference today in Orange County that he didn't know where the rumor of his death started.

He says he spent the night at a friend's house and was rustled from bed by his promoter about what was being reported.

Leopoldo, who now lives in Costa Mesa, says he hopes to fight one last time, but dismissed the possibility that someone close to him would have started a rumor of his death as a gimmick.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department fielded about 200 calls today about Leopoldo's purported death.