Felipe Colares, a former UFC fighter has passed away. Colares, who joined the company in February 2019, made his Octagon debut against Geraldo de Freitas. After losing his debut fight, Felipe competed in the promotion 5 more times. From 2019-2022, the Brazilian fighter amassed a record of 2 wins and 4 losses. His last UFC bout came against Chase Hooper in May 2022, which he lost via TKO.
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According to a report from MMA Fighting, Corales was reportedly hit by a bus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The incident took place on May 1, 2023, while he was returning after a training session. He was reportedly rushed to the hospital Rocha Faria in the Campo Grande area. However, it was too late as Felipe was pronounced dead upon arrival. Colares trained out of Team Nogueira and his coach Rodrigo Babi revealed the news to Combate.
Felipe Colares’ dream was to fight in the UFC
Following the unfortunate news, UFC put out a column on their official website to pay tribute to Felipe Colares. He was born on March 31, 1994, in the Macapa, Amapa region of Brazil. He caught the bug for combat sports very early in his life as he started training when he was seven years old. The 29-year-old even held black belts in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo.
His first pro fight came in 2013, against Evandro Souza Balieiro at North Extreme Cagefighting 9. He won the fight via submission in the very first round. Felipe went on an 8-fight win streak to kick off his career which included him winning the vacant Jungle Fight featherweight belt in 2017. However, he took off 2 years before joining the UFC in 2019.
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At the time, he called the move, “My childhood dream come true.” While he did not set the world on fire during his UFC run, Felipe “Cabocao” Colares certainly made a good impression on the fans. Following his exit from the company, Felipe last fought Alioune Nahaye and beat him via submission on February 17, 2023, at Ares FC 12.
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As for his family, he was in a relationship with Jacqueline Amaral, who is a digital creator with over 25,000 followers on Instagram. The couple also had a child named Rhavi. She posted a tribute to Felipe on her Instagram account with the caption, “Forever and ever, us.” (translation via Instagram)
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