Former Ultimate Fighting Championship star Rodrigo de Lima was killed in a hit-and-run incident on Sunday after an argument with an Uber driver in his native Brazil.
De Lima – nicknamed “Monstro” in the cage – was inside a ride-share car with friends when he started arguing with driver Jefferson Roger Marciel Barata, according to police.
The 26-year-old fighter’s long-time teammate Michel Prazeres was with him at the time. UFC welterweight Prazeres told MMA Fighting that De Lima left the vehicle on foot near a gas station in Belem, Brazil, after getting into an “altercation” with the driver stopped when he stopped the car.
Barata is said to have driven away before coming back and hitting De Lima from behind with his car.
Police are reportedly looking for Barata, who is said to have fled the scene.
De Lima – who is survived by his wife and two children – fought twice for the UFC in 2014 and 2015, losing to Neil Magny and Efrain Escudero.
He last fought in June 2018 at Shooto Brazil 85, submitting Luiz Fabiano in the co-main event. He was in Belem training jiu-jitsu for some upcoming fights in Kazakhstan.
