Well-traveled 52-fight MMA veteran Brian
Gassaway has died at the age of 49.
Late on Saturday, a friend of Gassaway wrote on Facebook
that he had passed. A GoFundMe
page has since been created for a memorial fund for Gassaway’s
family on Sunday. The news of his death has since been confirmed by
multiple
MMA media members.
“It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we announce the
passing of our dear friend, teacher, and mentor, Brian
Gassaway,” the GoFundMe wrote.
“Please know that as much as he helped you, you also helped him,”
it continued. “You were the reason he lived. You gave him breath.
He absorbed and learned from your experience, sharing it with the
next student. As students and teachers of martial arts, we are the
sum of the teachers and students before us.
“Brian leaves behind his wife and best friend, Mimi, mother, and
brother, Wesley. Brian, our friend, our teacher, you will not be
forgotten. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with
us. Because of you, we are stronger; we are braver; we are better
people. I hope you knew how much you meant to us. We love you,
champ.”
Gassaway debuted in the sport in 1996, entering into a one-night
tournament in Mississippi. He prevailed in his first two outings by
rear-naked choke, both within 100 seconds. Later that night, he
fell short to former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Anthony
Macias by submission. The man known as “Mandingo” traveled the
world in his storied MMA career, heading over to Japan to compete
in Pancrase and then later that year to Brazil to
partake in an International Vale Tudo Championship tournament.
The Chicago native did not lose from 1998 to early 2000, going
unbeaten in 14 bouts while recording victories over names like
Travis
Fulton and future UFC talent Joe Slick.
Returning to Pancrase in 2000, then taking a trip to the Shooto ring, he put himself on the map to join the
ranks of World Extreme Cagefighting in 2005. An
accidental headbutt with Ross Ebanez
in his WEC debut led to a no contest, but a pair of subsequent
submission wins for Gassaway on the regional scene punched his
ticket to the UFC. At UFC 54, he entered the Octagon, only to
suffer a stoppage loss to then-undefeated Diego
Sanchez.
Following his UFC defeat, Gassaway competed in various
organizations around the U.S., and ultimately made his way back to
the WEC to take on John Alessio
in 2007. Although that appearance did not go his way, he went on to
record several more wins before hanging up his gloves in 2010. His
final triumph came under the Bellator MMA banner at Bellator 25 in 2010, capturing
a unanimous verdict over Kevin
Knabjian. His final MMA fight came against Pride Fighting Championships vet Shungo Oyama,
and he suffered a submission
loss less than one month after beating Knabjian. After leaving
competition, Gassaway served as a trainer and coach in his home
city of Chicago, training names
like Shonie
Carter.