Former UFC and BKFC fighter Geane Herrera he died.
Herrera, 33, died in a motorcycle accident Saturday in Tampa, Florida, after rear-ending a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Although a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson did not release the name of the motorcycle driver, his description of the incident corroborates several social media reports, including posts from individuals who said they were members of Herrera’s family. BKFC, Herrera’s latest combat sports promotion, announced his death on Sunday.
The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed to MMA Junkie that the driver was traveling at a “high rate of speed” and was thrown “several hundred feet” before the motorcycle caught fire. Herrera was pronounced dead at the scene.
His family launched a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses. Herrera leaves behind a 16-year-old son, pregnant girlfriend, parents and siblings.
Nicknamed “La Pulga” or “The Flea” in English, Herrera was a proud Colombian-American. He began his professional MMA career in 2011 and joined the UFC in 2015.
After a unanimous decision loss for Ray Borg, Herrera won his first and only UFC victory against Joby Sanchez by technical knockout. Back to back defeats to Ali Bagautinov It is Ben Nguyen followed led to his departure from the UFC in 2016.
In 2018, Herrera returned to competition in the ACB, where he scored a quick submission victory over Darren Mima.
He did not fight again until 2021 when he signed with BKFC. He defeated Abdiel Vasquez via TKO in his debut. This win set him up for his first BKFC main event, which he lost to Reggie Barnett via unanimous decision.