Geane Herrera former UFC, BKFC fighter dead at 33
By Amy Kaplan
Geane Herrera a former UFC and BKFC fighter has died at age 33. Herrera was involved in a motorcycle crash on Saturday in Tampa, FL, according to MMA Junkie, who spoke with a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson. Herrera was riding his motorcycle when he hit the back of a Jeep Grand Cherokee and was killed. According to the outlet the spokesperson confirmed that a man was traveling at a “high rate of speed” and was thrown “several hundred feet” before the motorcycle burst into flames. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
BKFC confirmed the death on Monday when they posted a tribute to the fighter on their official Instagram page. Several fans and fighters commented on the post with their condolences.
Former UFC fighter Ray Borg wrote, "Had the pleasure of sharing the octagon with him in 2015. He was a good guy, my prayers are with him and his family during this tough time." Borg and Herrera fought at UFC Nashville on Aug. 8, 2015.
Fellow BKFC fighter Lorenzo Hunt commented. "Dam we won the tryouts together" Another BKFC fighter, Mark Irwin, had a similar memory, and wrote, "I was at the Tampa Try Outs with him a few years ago when we both got into bk. Nice dude. Rest in Peace." Someone else wrote, "God Bless Geane. He was my best friend. His heart was truly made of gold." Another said, "I was honored to not only have worked his fights with BKFC, but I met him when I worked one of his fights abroad in Rimini, Italy. My deepest condolences to the Herrera family. He was a great warrior, a good man and a friend. Rest well Geane."
Geane Herrera fought in MMA and bare knuckle boxing
A GoFundMe account was set up by his family and at press time had raised just over $9,000. The profile reads, "Our family is devastated by the tragic loss of our beloved Geane Carlos Herrera known in the professional fighting world as “La Pulga”, whose life was cut way too short at only 33 years old. Geane leaves behind a 16-year-old son, his 3-month pregnant girlfriend, mother, father, sisters, a brother and a family that loves him and will deeply miss him."
Herrera last fought MMA at ACB 85 in 2018 where he defeated Darren Mima via a first round submission. He competed in the UFC between August 2015 and November 2016 and lost three of his four appearances. His lone UFC win came via a second round TKO of Joby Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale in 2015. He fought at BKFC in July 2021 and defeated Abdiel Velazquez via second round TKO.