This past Monday, May 1, the MMA world was rocked by the tragic passing of Felipe Colares, a prominent UFC fighter from Brazil. Just 29 years old, Colares suffered a fatal accident in Rio de Janeiro while on his way home from training at the gym.
It was Rodrigo Balbi, Colares’ trainer, who shared the terrible news with the world. According to him, a bus ran over the athlete and as a result, firefighters had to intervene at the scene of the accident to rescue Colares. Despite the immense effort invested, the wrestler died in the ambulance itself due to the serious injuries he suffered after the bus hit him.
Just a few months ago, Colares made Brazilian headlines by foiling a robbery in the middle of the street. The images recorded that day showed the wrestler pinning the offender to the ground while waiting for the security forces. Colares himself explained that when he saw that the man was “unarmed, they immobilized him with jiu-jitsu techniques.
In addition to Colares’ sporting success, the fighter also managed to stand out thanks to his social commitment. He actively participated in a government program called “Empoderadas” (Empowered), which he coordinated with the aim of combating gender violence and teaching self-defense techniques to women in vulnerable situations.
Throughout his career, Felipe Colares harvested a total of 11 wins and 4 losses. From February 2019 to May 2021, he participated in 6 UFC events, where he earned two wins against Domingo Pilarte (2019) and Luke Sanders (2021). Unfortunately, after two consecutive losses to Chris Gutierres and Chase Hooper in 2021 and 2022, Colares disassociated himself from the UFC and joined Ares FC. In his last professional fight, we saw the fighter defeat Alioune Nahaye last February 17 in Paris during the Ares FC 12 event.
