Last July, the MMA world witnessed the death of Affliction and UFC legend, Kimo Leopoldo all within a few days. TMZ reported Kimo’s death July 21st and by the end of the day, Kimo Leopoldo issued a press release letting everyone know that he wasn’t dead, but just resting in his Southern California bed. That same week, Beau Taylor (OMA) spoke with TheSmokingGun.com about how he started the entire Kimo Leopoldo death hoax. It’s best to just read the TSG report in it’s entirety.
JULY 22–The fabricated claim yesterday about the purported death of a former Ultimate Fighting Championship star was the handiwork of a self-described “Internet troll” with a “weird mind.” Beau Taylor, a 31-year-old Oklahoma man, created a thread on a popular mixed martial arts (MMA) web site reporting that Kimo Leopoldo had died in Costa Rica of a heart attack. Taylor told TSG that he selected Leopoldo as the subject of the hoax in light of the fighter’s arrest earlier this year on drug charges. “I thought it would be a good fit,” said Taylor. The fabricated account of Leopoldo’s death leapt beyond MMA web sites and bulletin boards when TMZ.com reported yesterday afternoon that it had “confirmed” the 41-year-old athlete’s demise (this confirmation was presumably delivered by one of the gossip site’s paid sources). The erroneous story was later yanked from the site, which is now batting .500 on recent death exclusives. For his part, Taylor’s eventful week has also included a public intoxication arrest. He was busted early Sunday morning after security officers at a shopping center found him passed out in his car with the engine running, with “an open container of beer in the center console,” according to a Tulsa Police Department report. Cops noted that Taylor reeked of alcohol and had difficulty standing. “Taylor said that he had left his house intoxicated in order to buy cigarettes,” noted cops, who reported that Taylor said he had consumed three glasses of wine and six beers. Asked about his beaming mug shot, seen below, Taylor spoke of trying to strike the right booking photo balance: “You know, I didn’t want to look like Nick Nolte,” he said. “Or that I was too happy to be arrested.”
In August, our reporter caught up with Kimo Leopoldo at the IMMAE where Kimo told us about his upcoming movie where…he plays a dead guy. We thought it would be worth checking out the Los Angeles premiere unfortunately, Kimo Leopolodo was a no-show. Now we know just where Kimo was, trapped in his basement making vlogs where he calls out everyone in MMA.
