Diego Braga, a 44-year-old Brazilian MMA veteran, was killed by organized crime in Rio de Janeiro after being mistaken for a rival militia member while searching for his stolen motorcycle.
It’s a dark day for Brazilian MMA. Diego Braga, a 44-year-old MMA veteran, has been tragically killed. The culprits? Organized crime in Rio de Janeiro. The police confirmed this on Monday.
Braga’s social media was buzzing on Monday morning. He’d had his motorcycle stolen from his garage the previous night. But here’s the kicker. Witnesses say Braga decided to track down his bike in a favela.
But things took a turn for the worse. Braga was mistaken for a rival militia member by the criminal organization, Comando Vermelho. The result? He was allegedly killed.
Here’s an update. A report from Brazilian news outlet G1 says that police arrested Tauã da Silva, an 18-year-old, on Tuesday morning. He supposedly confessed to being involved in Braga’s killing.
Da Silva spilled the beans. Braga had gone to the Morro do Banco favela to find his stolen motorcycle. But when members of Comando Vermelho saw militia members’ phone numbers on his phone, they decided to kill him. Braga grew up in Rio das Pedras, an area controlled by the militia.
Braga was more than just an MMA veteran. He was the leader of the Tropa Thai team in Rio de Janeiro. He was also a martial arts instructor for underprivileged children in favelas. He even coached his son, Gabriel Braga, for his MMA bouts. This led Gabriel to the PFL featherweight finals in 2023. Gabriel lost a rematch to Jesus Pinedo in the $1 million finale.
Diego Braga had an active MMA career from 2003 to 2014. He faced off against big names like Charles Oliveira, Milton Vieira, and Adriano Martins. All of them ended up competing in the UFC.
Braga also coached the legendary middleweight Anderson Silva for several of his final UFC bouts. He even shared a card with his son Gabriel at Future MMA 7 in 2019. This would be his retirement bout. Both father and son emerged victorious that night. Diego ended his career with an impressive MMA record of 23-8-1, winning 16 of his last 19 appearances.
“My son has cornered me many times in the past,” Diego told MMA Fighting before the match. “So this is a dream come true for me. He inspired me to fight again.”