It may not be a very common occurrence, but there is always the risk of the loss of life when fighters get inside the Octagon, or a ring, for that matter, to butt heads with each other. Hardcore fans may be aware of it, but newer fans must be wondering if there have been fighters who passed away during active competition and that’s what we’re going to look at in this article. The last 12 months were pretty sad and resulted in the demise of a few notable names in MMA.

The list we’re going to present before you had been competing elsewhere following their UFC departure. So, without further ado, let’s have a detailed look at it as the first fighter on the list left Dana White‘s promotion over a decade ago.

Guilherme Vasconcelos

Born in the South American nation of Brazil, Guilherme Vasconcelos had a one-fight stint in the UFC back in 2014 when he took on fellow UFC short-stinter Luke Zachrich at UFC 175. However, ‘Bomba’, as he was known, would succumb to a decision loss following which he would depart from the promotion. But that’s not it because Vasconcelos would compete in a total of 16 MMA fights and had his last fight under Bellator’s banner. Five years after his last fight, his family would make the public announcement of his untimely death.

The Brazilian star also garnered headlines for dating famous singer Demi Lovato. According to a report by ‘MMA Junkie, Guilherme Vasconcelos had shared been using social media just 24 hours before the news came up about his death at 38 years old. Apparently, he posted a story on Instagram of him standing outside the Gracie Barra gym this past October, due to which the news was rather unexpected.

In a statement released by his uncle Walter, “We were looking forward to your visit for Christmas, which will no longer happen. Life is fleeting, and we woke up to this devastating news…” However, no cause was mentioned regarding the MMA star’s death. Now, let’s look at another fighter with more UFC fights under his belt who passed away in 2024.

Geane Herrera

Another fighter who left behind his family and friends a bit too early was Geane Herrera. Hailing from the city of Duarte on the East Coast, ‘The Revolutionary’ racked up an impressive record of 10 wins and 3 losses, winning most of his fights via submission finishes. Herrera fought in the UFC between 2015 and 2016, and in that short stint, he won two of his five fights in the promotion.

The reason behind Herrera’s death isn’t any illness or injury. After all, he was still going pretty strong in his MMA career since he hadn’t lost a single fight outside of the UFC. According to ‘The Colombian’, Herrera breathed his last after a tragic motorcycle accident over on the West Coast, Tampa in May 2024.

His family would take to the internet and share a few words about his demise on a GoFundMe page, revealing that he had left behind a son and a girlfriend who was three months into her pregnancy. Now, let’s move over to the next fighter on the list.

Teila Tuli

The UFC wouldn’t be what it is if it were not for the fighters who fought under the banner during its inception. Popular actor, Teila Tuli, also known as Taylor Wily, who’s known for his work on ‘Hawaii Five-O’, was one of those fighters who took part in the UFC’s inaugural pay-per-view event, UFC 1 in 1993. In an event that was meant to showcase the clashing of various fighting art forms, Tuli took Gerard Gordeau but lost in the very first few seconds due to a knockout. 

In June 2024, Tuli was announced to have passed away at the age of 56. However, the cause of death remained confidential among his friends and family members, as reports claim it was due to natural causes. Tuli didn’t just engage in MMA but was a prominent name in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the late 90s as well. His absence has surely been felt as fans reacted and mourned his passing when the news broke.

Benji Radach

Another fighter who ventured into a short UFC career was Benji Radach, who made his debut in the sport inside the Octagon. Throughout his run in the UFC, EliteXC, Strikeforce, and other promotions, the middleweight fighter had racked up a pretty impressive 16-7 record, with 12 knockout wins. Radach called it a career after 15 years as a pro in 2015.

Just a few months ago in August, Radach’s brother shared the sad news of his demise at age 45. But just like Teli Tuli’s situation, we also don’t have any information available on the cause of his death. Known as ‘Razor’, Radach’s death didn’t go unnoticed, as fans and many MMA figures offered their condolences following the sad news.

Now, let us look at another fighter who passed away in his 40s, and who also competed in boxing.

Hiromitsu Miura

Hiromitsu Miura didn’t necessarily fight under the UFC banner, but he fought under the World Extreme Cagefighting banner, which was later acquired by the UFC. Popularly known for his ‘Fight of the Night’ performance against Carlos Condit for the WEC welterweight title in 2008, Miura sadly passed away on 26 October 2024 due to acute leukemia at 43 years old.

Miura’s family would open up on the MMA veteran’s death, claiming that he’d been dealing with leukemia a couple of months before he breathed his last. ‘Last Samurai’ had a lengthy fighting career that spanned from 2004 to 2021, as he amassed a 13-8 MMA record and a highly impressive 9-1 boxing record.

The final name on our list is one who was known for a very unusual habit. Let’s take a look at that front.

Art Jimmerson

There’s more than one entry here from UFC 1 as another fighter who passed away in 2024 was Art Jimmerson. According to his daughter in an Instagram post in May, Jimmer was 60 years old had passed away due to an undisclosed reason. “Dear Friends and Family, it is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Art Jimmerson… He will be deeply missed by all who knew him… Please keep Art and his family in your thoughts and prayers,” Jimmerson’s daughter stated.

The UFC pioneer won fans over on the promotion’s inaugural event when he became the only fighter to compete inside the Octagon with just one glove on. As he went on to be known as ‘One Glove’, Jimmerson had his one and only UFC fight against Hall of Famer and fellow pioneer, Royce Gracie. Moreover, he also had a boxing record of 33 wins at the expense of 18 losses, recording 17 knockouts.

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