Former Bellator and PFL fighter [autotag]Jordan Young[/autotag] has died.
While a cause of death is unclear, Young died at 27, his boxing coach Derik Santos announced Saturday. The news was confirmed Sunday by Young’s home gym, American Top Team, as well as the most recent promotion he competed in, PFL, on social media.
Young went 12-2 as a professional mixed martial artist from the time of his debut in 2014. Ten of his 11 wins came inside the distance. In January 2017, Young signed with Bellator, where he entered the national spotlight. He fought seven times for the promotion and went 6-1, including five straight submission finishes.
One of the promotion’s top prospects, Young voiced unhappiness with inactivity and ultimately parted ways with Bellator following his first career loss against future light heavyweight title challenger Julius Anglickas.
For his next move, Young joined PFL. In 2021, he competed twice for the promotion. Although he lost his promotional debut against UFC alum Tom Lawlor, Young made his mark on PFL with a memorable comeback knockout and upset over another former UFC fighter, Omari Akhmedov, in October.
Young touched many in the South Florida MMA community and beyond, with numerous tributes posted online in the wake of his death. Check out some of those posts below.