MMA fighter, Leandro "Feijao" Souza, died just before the weigh-in for his next fight after suffering a stroke attributed to his unhealthy weight loss plan, Yahoo! Sports reported Friday.
The 26-year-old Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter died Thursday prior to the weigh-in for his next fight, a flyweight bout at Shooto 43 in Brazil, his Brazilian trainer confirmed on Facebook today.
According to Leandro's teammate, Andre Santos, the player was compelled to lose about 2 pounds from his weight to make the 126-pound required weight for the fight. Santos told Uol Esportes that Souza passed out in a sauna.
The Institute of Forensic Medicine said Friday that the MMA fighter had suffered a stroke, adding that it was a "premature" one, which can be attributed to Souza's extreme means of shedding pounds.
Andre Pederneiras, the coach of the Brazilian-based Nova Uniao team, which has Jose Aldo and Renan Barao as members, broke Souza's death right away.
"We are sad to report the death of Leandro Caetano de Souza," Pederneiras said on his Facebook page. "The athlete has passed away in Botafogo's UPA. We don't know the reasons why yet. We would like to express our condolences to all friends and family."
Santos was quoted by MMA Fighting, which first reported the news, saying that the fighter's death was related to his weight loss plan.
"We don't have much information yet," Santos told MMAFighting.com, adding that he believes the weight cut was the main culprit behind the untimely demise of the player.
Souza, with a 5-5 record, was actually scheduled to fight against Gabriel Brasil Friday morning.
Shooto reportedly cancelled the event after the confirmation of the MMA fighter's death.
Meanwhile, no information on his weight cut plan has been released as of late.
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
