MMA veteran Geronimo dos Santos has died at age 45 after drowning in Brazil’s Amazon region. Per MMA Fighting, according to local reports, dos Santos disappeared while swimming in the Rio Negro, one of the world’s largest rivers. Divers from the Amazonas Fire Department recovered the heavyweight’s body Monday morning, discovering him trapped beneath rocks at the bottom of the river.
Dos Santos last fought in April, delivering a brutal first-round knockout of former UFC heavyweight Aleksei Oleinik in a BKFC bout. The victory marked a late-career highlight for the striking specialist. Dos Santos then inked a BKFC fight against Andrei Arlovski in June, but ultimately withdrew from the matchup.
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Dos Santos made his MMA debut in 2006 in his home of Brazil, kickstarting a 72-fight MMA career (45-26-1). While he never competed in the UFC, dos Santos did sign with the promotion in 2012. He was slated to compete at UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro in a heavyweight bout against Gabriel Gonzaga, but was removed from the card after testing positive for Hepatitis B. He later parted ways with the promotion in 2014 after being unable to receive medical clearance from North American athletic commissions.
Throughout his career, dos Santos stood across several notable heavyweight legends and names, including the likes of Junior dos Santos, Josh Barnett, Serghei Karitonov, Vitaly Minakov and Aleksander Emelianenko. From 2011 to 2014, dos Santos won 13 straight MMA fights, his career-best stretch.
His passing marks a tragic end to a life and career that spanned decades across multiple combat sports disciplines.
