‘IN HIS SLEEP’

UFC Fighter Dead at 34 After ‘Apparent Heart Attack’

Allan Nascimento, who signed with the UFC in 2021, last fought in June.

Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Allan Nascimento died of an apparent heart attack Monday morning, the company announced.

The 34-year-old Brazilian “was found unresponsive after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep,” UFC said in a social media post. “Despite the efforts of the responding medical team, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

Nascimento last fought just six weeks ago at UFC 119 in Las Vegas, where he had a three-round, split decision loss.

“Unfortunately, the win didn’t come this time—a loss via split decision—but I leave with my head held high, knowing I gave it my all in there,” he wrote on Instagram afterward in Portuguese. “Losses also teach, strengthen, and are part of the journey. Thank you all for the support and messages.”

Born in Sao Paulo, Nascimento began his professional career in 2011 and competed in fighting promotions like RIZIN and Legacy FC before signing with UFC in 2021. There, he was 4-2 in six appearances, with an overall professional record of 22-7. Of his wins, 16 came by way of submission.

A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Nascimento was a member of Chute Boxe Diego Lima, an MMA gym in Sao Paulo. He trained there with former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

“Today I lost a brother that the fight game gave me,” Oliveira wrote on Instagram in Portuguese. “Thank you for always being by my side, for sharing the mats and the corner. I have nothing but gratitude for having you with me — in training, in the corner, and just hanging out. I love you, man; you’re a legend."

Throughout his career, Nascimento’s nickname was “Puro Osso,” or “All Bones,” given his build as a teenager. The weight limit in UFC’s flyweight division is 126 pounds for non-title fights, and 125 for all others.

Last month, Nascimento was sharing workout photos while stressing the importance of discipline and routine.

“It’s about the choices you make every day,” he wrote. “Routine. Process. Taking care of your body. Strengthening your mind. And then… Tomorrow, doing it all over again. And again. And again. Until, one day, you realize... that this is discipline.”

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