Dana White shares heartbreaking backstory of recently deceased MMA fighter Shalie Lipp
UFC president Dana White recently shared the tragic story of Shalie Lipp, a promising mixed-martial-arts competitor who died just two weeks before a major fight.
Colorado native Shalie Lipp was killed in a car accident involving two vehicles on the I-94 bridge connecting Fargo and Moorhead. It was reported that at about 11.30 a.m. on Sunday morning, a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu collided with a 2017 Jeep Cherokee that was headed east. Except for Lipp, who was the passenger in the Chevrolet Malibu and the only person in either car not wearing a seatbelt, everyone else got out of the incident unscathed.
The amateur mixed martial artist from Minnesota's Academy of Combat Arts, Fargo, was supposed to fight Natalie Gauge for the flyweight title at Ignite No Mercy 11 on May 20 at the Kent Freeman Arena in Detroit Lakes.
After her untimely death, Lipp's mother discovered her daughter's journal, where she frequently concluded entries with the line "Dana White will know my name." This was perhaps her way of manifesting her dream to compete in the UFC. White learned of the incident through former UFC women's flyweight title challenger Lauren Murphy. Needless to say, White was devastated by the news and penned a poignant note on Instagram:
"Her [Shalie Lipp] mother found her journal and i guess at the end of every entry she would write “Dana White will know my name.” Lauren Murphy called and told Mick Maynard the story and it broke my heart.. My condolences to her family and friends."
Check out Dana White's post below:
Conor McGregor and other MMA fighters react to Dana White sharing the tragic story of deceased MMA fighter Shalie Lipp
Shalie Lipp, a rising MMA competitor, recently passed away tragically just days before her scheduled MMA bout. It was subsequently revealed that she used to write in her journal that Dana White would recognize her one day, maybe as a way to bring her dream of competing in the UFC to fruition.
White posted a heartfelt message on Instagram with the caption:
"I KNOW YOUR NAME……. RIP."
Dana White's reaction to the tragic news was echoed by several UFC athletes, who wrote their messages under the comments section. Conor McGregor simply reacted with a heart and folded hands emoji. Meanwhile, ONE Championship atomweight contender Alyse Anderson wrote:
"Really sad, awesome for you to share this - I don't know her but I'm sure it was a dream for you to know her name ❤️ RIP."
UFC color commentator Laura Sanko wrote:
"Thank you for sharing this…my heart goes out to her family."
Check out some of the comments below: