The death of one of MMA’s most dynamic athletes MMA has been confirmed.
MMA fandom has suffered a great loss as former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman was confirmed to have passed away at age 44. The news was confirmed by Jeremy Botter.
Sad to confirm the passing of MMA pioneer Kevin Randleman at 44 years old. Went to hospital with pneumonia and had heart failure.
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) February 12, 2016
Randleman was an accomplished wrestler, having been a Division I champion (1992/1993), as well as a finalist in 1991. He began fighting in the UFC in 1999 at UFC 19, and lost to Bas Rutten at UFC 20 in a bid for the then vacant heavyweight title. After Rutten’s departure, Randleman defeated Pete Williams at UFC 23 to become UFC heavyweight champion.
In 2002, he began fighting for PRIDE fighting championships, where he had some legendary performances, most notably against Fedor Emilianenko and a stunning upset victory against Mirko Cro Cop, as well as bouts against Kazushi Sakuraba and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Plagued by injuries and a terrible staph infection (one of the most infamous in combat sports history), he ended his career after stints in Sengoku and Strikeforce before deciding to retire. He then ventured into professional wrestling for the Pro-Wrestling Zero-One and now-defunct Hustle organizations.
The cause of death has been reported to be heart failure and pneumonia. He is survived by his wife and three children. He will be remembered for a career with many ups and downs, but always having a lot of drive and passion for the sport as well as his appreciation for the fans.
Thank you for everything, Monster. We sure as hell won’t forget you.