Ex-UFC fighter Felipe Colares dead at 29 after reportedly being hit by a bus
Former UFC fighter Felipe Colares died on Monday at 29 years old.
Colares' coach Rodrigo Babi told Combate that Colares was hit by a bus in Rio de Janeiro on Monday morning while returning from a training session. He was tended to by first responders on the scene and died while in transport to a local hospital, according to the report.
MMA Fighting later confirmed the report while French promotion Ares Fighting Championship confirmed Colares' death Monday afternoon. Colares won his last professional fight via a rear naked choke submission of Alioune Nahaye at Ares FC 12 in Paris on Feb. 17.
Prior to joining Ares, Colares fought six times in UFC competition from February 2019 to May 2021. He tallied a 2-4 UFC record with a 2019 victory over Domingo Pilarte at UFC on ESPN 4 and a 2021 win over Luke Sanders at UFC on ESPN 23. He joined Ares after consecutive UFC losses to Chris Gutierrez and Chase Hooper in 2021 and 2022.
Colares tallied an 11-4 overall record in the professional ranks after starting his career with North Extreme Cagefighting in 2013. He won the Jungle Fight featherweight championship over Caio Gregorio in 2017 before making his move to the UFC.
Colares made headlines in January after breaking up an alleged robbery in Rio. He posted images on social media and wrote at the time that his used his jiu-jitsu skills to subdue and detain a man who allegedly stole a phone from a woman on the street.
Per Combate, Colares leaves behind his wife Jaqueline and their 10-month-old son.
