Dana White knows Shalie Lipp’s name.
Lipp, an amateur MMA fighter from Minnesota, passed away on Sunday in a car crash just two weeks before her next fight. The 21-year-old was 3-2 as an amateur but was showing massive improvements from fight to fight and Jeremy Bjornberg, who represents the promoters of the event, said everyone in the area knew Lipp was going to make it to the UFC.
“I was also a good friend of Shalie. … She was the definition of someone who lit up a room with excitement, talent and charisma. She had an amazing work ethic. She had only been back a few days from a month of training in Thailand. … 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 (Ultimate Fighting Championship),” Bjornberg said (via StarTribune).
Dana White Shares Heartfelt Story
After the death of Lipp began to make news in the MMA world, Dana White posted on Instagram about her and shared a heartfelt story.
“@shalielipp. I KNOW YOUR NAME… RIP. She is a 21 year old amateur MMA fighter who just passed away in a car accident. She was supposed to fight 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 posted on Instagram.
Dana White’s message is touching and heartfelt and not something he had to do. But, the UFC president went out of his way to share the story of Lipp who had a lot of promise in her MMA career and was destined to do big things in the sport.
