Former Bellator and UFC competitor Guilherme “Bomba” dies at 38

Guilherme Vasconcelos, a veteran of 16 professional mixed martial arts fights, has died at the age of 38.

Members of Vasconelos' family initially broke the news of his death, and several media outlets later confirmed the Brazilian's death. A cause of death was not announced. Vasconcelos posted a photo of a Gracie Barra gym on his Instagram Stories less than 24 hours ago.

Vasconelo's death was also mourned by members of the MMA community on social media, including longtime jiu-jitsu coach Cristiano Lazzarini.

“Of all the students I had, you were the bravest,” Lazzarini wrote on social media (translation via MMAFighting.com). “Fearless, unbeatable. A machine in moments of chaos. A sweet boy in trivial moments. We had a machine that had a little bit of everything. Making her MMA debut with a win against a man who had 10 straight wins and 19 fights was one of the happiest moments of my life in the sport. Unbreakable. So many journeys together, so many battles. From blue to black belt, from the first to the last MMA fight. Man, how much I love you. Incredible. Rest in peace, brother.”

Vasconelos went 10-6 over the course of his MMA career, which began in 2012. After participating in “TUF Brazil 3,” he made his only Octagon appearance at UFC 175, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Luke Zachrich on July 5, 2014. “Bomba” also went 3-3 in six fights with Bellator from 2016 to 2019. His last professional MMA appearance was a unanimous decision loss to Derek Anderson at Bellator 229 on October 4, 2019.

Outside the cage, Vasconcelos gained some fame in 2017 for dating pop star Demi Lovato.