Former UFC and BKFC fighter [autotag]Geane Herrera[/autotag] has died.
Herrera, 33, was killed in a motorcycle crash Saturday in Tampa, Fla., after he struck the back of a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
While a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson would not release the motorcycle driver’s name, his description of the incident corroborates with multiple social media reports, including posts from individuals who said they are Herrera’s family members. BKFC, Herrera’s most recent combat sports promotion, announced his death 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 burst into flames. Herrera was pronounced dead on scene.
His family has launched a GoFundMe to assist with funeral expenses. Herrera leaves behind a 16-year-old son, pregnant girlfriend, his 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 made it to the UFC in 2015.
After a unanimous decision loss to Ray Borg, Herrera picked up his first and only UFC win against Joby Sanchez by TKO. Back-to-back defeats to Ali Bagautinov and Ben Nguyen followed led to his UFC departure in 2016.
In 2018, Herrera returned to competition in ACB, for which he notched a quick submission victory over Darren Mima.
He didn’t fight again until 2021, when he signed with BKFC. He defeated Abdiel Vasquez by TKO in his debut. That victory set him up for his first BKFC main event, which he lost to Reggie Barnett by unanimous decision.
