Veteran MMA fighter Geronimo dos Santos was found dead in a river in Brazil this week after he went missing while going for a swim in the Rio Negro in the Amazon.
Dos Santos vanished after he went for a swim in the river near São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Brazil, on Friday, and local reports indicated that the ex-fighter was found trapped under rocks near the riverbed.
The municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira confirmed dos Santos’ death in a post on social media.
“In this moment of grief, we express our deepest condolences to all family and friends,” a statement read. “May God grant them strength and comfort to overcome this great loss.”
Dos Santos, known as “Mondragon,” last competed in April, fighting and knocking out former UFC heavyweight Aleksei Oleinik in a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship match, and was slated to fight Andrei Arlovski in June in a BKFC bout, but later withdrew.
The Brazilian began his MMA career in 2006 in his home country and went on to compete in 72 MMA fights, going 45-26-1.
Dos Santos was signed by UFC in 2012 and was scheduled to fight Gabriel Gonzaga in UFC 153, but was forced to withdraw from the Rio de Janeiro after he could not get medical clearance.
He was later let go by UFC, though he did compete around South America, Europe and Asia for various MMA promotions, including Mr. Cage, RIZIN, ACA and Fight Nights Global.
During a stretch from 2011-14, dos Santos went on a run that saw him win 13 straight MMA fights.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
