UFC, IFL alum Benji Radach dead at 45; MMA community mourns

Former MMA fighter Benji Radach has died.

A seasoned veteran who competed in the UFC, Strikeforce, WEC, Bellator, and IFL among other promotions, Radach fought 24 times in professional MMA from 2001-15. Radach’s brother Beau announced the news Tuesday on Facebook. No cause of death was revealed. Radach was 45.

Radach competed three times in the UFC. His promotional debut was a UFC 37 vs. Steve Berger in May 2002. Radach was initially named the winner by 27-second knockout, but the result was overturned to a no contest when replay showed he held the fence.

Radach turned around one month later at UFC 37.5 and defeated Nick Serra by unanimous decision. In September 2002, he lost to Sean Sherk by TKO due to cut and then departed the promotion.

After a handful more fights on the regional scene, Radach signed with IFL. He competed six times for them in 2007 and went 5-1 in that stretch for the Los Angeles Anacondas.

In the eight years that followed, Radach competed four times. He defeated Murilo Rua in Elite XC before losses to Scott Smith and Ovince Saint Preux in Strikeforce. After a five-year absence, Radach competed in what would be his final pro fight, a 2015 loss to Ben Reiter by unanimous decision at Bellator 137.

Many in the MMA community paid tribute to Radach following news of his death. Some of the tributes can be seen below.