Getty Rodrigo De Lima pictured during a 2014 battle with American fighter Neil Magny.
Rodrigo De Lima, the renowned Brazilian MMA fighter, has died at the age of 28 following a hit-and-run in his homeland. De Lima is survived by his wife and two children. De Lima’s sad death on April 21 was confirmed in a report from Brazilian newspaper, O Liberal.
The O Liberal article says that De Lima was traveling with friends in an Uber when they got into a disagreement with the driver at a gas station. MMA fighter Michel Prazeres told the newspaper that he had just come from training with De Lima. At some point, De Lima exited the car and the motorist drove away. The newspaper says that shortly afterward, the driver returned and his De Lima from behind. The incident occurred in the Brazilian city of Belem. The suspect has been named as Jefferson Roger Maciel Barata.
De Lima’s Wife Gave Birth the Couple’s 2nd Child in February 2019
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Michel Prazeres, a teammate of De Lima’s, said that the slain fighter was survived by his wife and two children. Posts on De Lima’s Instagram page show that his wife gave birth to the couple’s second child in February 2019. De Lima, a native of Macapa, had been living in Belem.
De Lima Made His UFC Debut in 2014
Getty
According to De Lima’s Sherdog profile, he last fought in June 2018 in a submission loss to Luiz Fabiano at Shooto Brazil 85. That bout was the co-main event of the card. In 2014 and 2015, De Lima fought twice for the UFC. Both bouts ended in losses to Neil Magny at UFC Auckland and Efrain Escudero at UFC Broomfield respectively.
Magny had been due to fight Claudio Silva in the bout but Silva had to drop out due to injury. Magny defeated De Lima after spending the first round in defense. De Lima was felled by a succession of punches in the second round. During his MMA career, De Lima went by the moniker “Monstro.”
De Lima Was Described as ‘Not a Pretty Fighter’
Facebook/Rodrigo De Lima
At the time when De Lima fought in the UFC for the first time, he had been fighting for Jungle Fight, along with Silva and Thiago dos Santos. Bloody Elbow described De Lima as “not a pretty fighter.” De Lima was known for using “clubbing strikes” in addition to massive upper body strength to find submissions. At the same time, Fightland wrote of De Lima, “He has a well-rounded style, which includes a mix of kicks, punches and clubbing power shots that can put opponents to sleep.” That description said that De Lima’s main problems came when fights were allowed to go into the later rounds.
De Lima Married His Wife in 2011
Facebook/Rodrigo De LimaDe Lima pictured with his wife in September 2017.
According to De Lima’s Facebook page, he had been married to his wife Nathalia Margalho since 2011. In a July 2018 Facebook post, his wife uploaded a sonogram picture while tagging De Lima with the caption, “Let’s be parents again.”
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