- Dana White tried not to get too emotional when talking about the untimely death of amateur MMA fighter Shalie Lipp
- The UFC president also paid tribute to the late fighter on social media
UFC president Dana White couldn’t help but still get emotional when asked about Shalie Lipp, the amateur MMA fighter who recently passed away following a horrible car crash.
The boss was hurting
Speaking at a recent press conference, White held back his tears while opening up about Lipp and why her death got him hurting even to this day.
“That girl hurt me bad. It messed me up for a few days. Tragic things happen everyday. That one got me. She was a 21 year old uh MMA fighter she just got back from Thailand training for a fight that she was supposed to fight on May 20th and she was involved in a car accident she was the passenger everybody else in the accident lived except for her. Her mom found her journal and at the end of every entry she wrote, ‘Dana White will know my name.’ It was just like,” White, who was trying his best not to get too emotional, told reporters.
On Instagram, the UFC boss also paid tribute to Lipp. In his heartfelt post, White admitted that her untimely passing and dreams of becoming a UFC star ultimately “broke his heart.”
“I posted about her,” he continued. “I’ve talked to her mom a couple of times. I think I’ve been annoying her mom since I found out [about the story]. I did the best I could do over the last several days… I’m not good with this kind of stuff but yeah. Horrible story.”
Too young to die
Lipp was the only one who got killed in the car crash that took place on the Red River Bridge in Moorhead, MN on Sunday. Other passengers reportedly didn’t even sustain serious injuries.
Like White, many feel sorry for Lipp, who was scheduled for an amateur fight against Natalie Gage on May 20 at “No Mercy 11.” She was supposed to come in with a 3-2 record as an amateur.
