UFC President Dana White delivered a heartfelt message following the tragic death of 21-year-old amateur mixed martial artist, Shalie Lipp.
A budding prospect in the Midwest MMA scene, Lipp sadly passed away on Sunday following a multi-vehicle accident while traveling on Interstate 94 near Moorhead, Minnesota. Per reports, Lipp was in the passenger seat of a Chevy Malibu being driven by her coach Joseph Trottier when the vehicle collided with a Jeep Cherokee around 11:30 a.m. Lipp was the only one not wearing her seatbelt at the time of the accident. The other passengers in the vehicle walked away virtually unscathed.
Learning of Shalie Lipp’s passing, Dana White took to Instagram, paying tribute to the fallen fighter in a heartbreaking message.
“She is a 21 year old amateur MMA fight who just passed away in a car accident,” White shared. “She was supposed to fight on May 20th and just got home from training in Thailand. Her mother found her journal and i guess at the end of every entry she would write “Dana White will know my name.” Lauren Murphy called and told Mick Maynard the story and it broke my heart.. My condolences to her family and friends.”
White also shared a post saying, “@shalielipp I KNOW YOUR NAME…….. RIP“
Shalie Lipp Was Destined for the UFC
Shalie Lipp was scheduled to make her return to the cage on May 20 under the No Mercy banner in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota against Natalie Gage. No Mercy promoter Jeremy Bjornberg, like many, believed that Lipp was destined for a run in the UFC.
“She had an amazing work ethic she had only been back a few days from a month of training in Thailand,” Bjornberg told MyMMANews. “At 19 years old, she started fighting the top fighters in the Midwest. … She was someone everyone knew was going to go somewhere and end up in the UFC.”
The memorial service will be broadcast on YouTube this Saturday, May 13. LowKick MMA sends its condolences to the family and friends of Shalie Lipp.