Rodrigo de Lima
Former UFC fighter, Rodrigo ‘Monstro’ de Lima was murdered in a hit-and-run incident at the age of 28 on the 21st of April.
De Lima had been a passenger in an Uber car with four others in Belem, Brazil when he got into an argument with the driver, Jefferson Roger Maciel Barata, who claimed that he’d been punched by the fighter after telling them to keep the noise down.
De Lima was then ordered out of the car at a gas station, but as he walked away, Baratta turned the car around and ran him over from behind, before speeding off.
Baratta was later arrested and charged with murder. In his statement claimed that he’d only meant to scare de Lima, not run him over.
‘Monstro,’ who is survived by his wife and two children, had originally made his way to the UFC from the Jungle Fights promotion in 2014, after compiling an 8-1-1 record.
However, he found the going tougher in the Octagon and after back-to-back losses against Neil Magny and Efrain Escudero he was released, leading to a three year hiatus from the sport.
De Lima made his comeback in the Shooto Brazil promotion in 2018 though and had earned a submission victory, taking his final record to 9-3-1.
