UFC star and flyweight contender Geane Herrera dead at 33 after horror motorcycle accident

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star and flyweight contender Geane Herrera has died at the age of 33 after being caught in a motorcycle accident in Miami, Florida on Saturday, May 18.

According to TMZ Sports, Geane was travelling at a ‘very high rate of speed' at the time of the collision. He was thrown ‘hundreds of feet’ from his motorbike after it hit a concrete barrier - the bike proceeded to become engulfed in flames. Some reports claim that his bike struck the back of a Jeep, rather than a concrete barrier.

By the time emergency services reached Herrera, he was pronounced dead at the scene. There was a second driver involved in the incident, but they are believed to be unharmed.

Born in Duarte, California, Herrera spent a significant portion of his formative years in Cali, Columbia. After nine years in South America, he and his family returned to the USA. Specialising in jiu-jitsu, he made his MMA debut in 2011, going on to sign a contract with the UFC three years later. By this point, Herrera had eight wins and zero defeats under his belt.

By the end of his active career, Herrera had amassed an MMA record of 10 wins and three losses. Notably, he was never knocked out or made to submit during his time in the UFC - all three of his professional losses came by way of decision.

He battled against fighters such as Ray Borg, Ben Nguyen and Joby Sanchez over the course of his career. Outside of UFC, he also fought under the ACB (Absolute Championship Berkut) banner on a single occasion.

Additionally, he also had one fight under bare-knuckle boxing rules in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). He won his only BKFC fight against Abdiel Velazquez by TKO in the second round. BKFC posted a tribute to Herrera on their official Instagram page on Sunday, after his death had been confirmed.

In the wake of Herrera’s passing, his family wrote on a Gofundme page in tribute: “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 was a hustler and started doing all kinds of odd jobs to make ends-meet and make sure his kids and family was taken care of. Geane coming from an immigrant family wanted to make the difference and make his Colombian-American community proud. We tell his story because we want everyone to know the amazing person Geane was, a man full of passion, life, love and big dreams."

“Geane you will always be in our hearts. 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.”

A man he was defeated by in the UFC, Ray Borg, said on Instagram: “He was a good guy, my prayers are with him and his family during this tough time.”