Former UFC fighter Felipe Colares passed away on Monday at the age of 29.
Kolares coach Rodrigo Pape told Combate that a bus in Rio de Janeiro hit Kolares on Monday morning as he was returning from a training session. He was attended to by first responders at the scene and died while being transported to a local hospital, according to the report.
MMA Fighting later confirmed the report while French affiliate Ares Fighting Championships confirmed Colares’ death on Monday afternoon. Kollaris won his last professional fight by submitting Aliyon Nahai at Ares FC 12 in Paris on February 17.
Prior to joining Ares, Kolares fought six times for the UFC from February 2019 to May 2021. He compiled a 2-4 UFC record with a 2019 win over Domingo Bellarte on UFC on ESPN 4 and a 2021 win over Luke Sanders in UFC on ESPN 23. Join to Ares after back-to-back UFC losses to Chris Gutierrez and Chase Hopper in 2021 and 2022.
Collares has a 11-4 overall record in the pro ranks after starting his career with North Extreme Cagefighting in 2013. He won the Jungle Fight Featherweight Championship over Caio Gregorio in 2017 before moving up to the UFC.
Polaris hit the headlines in January after breaking up an alleged robbery in Rio. He posted pictures on social media and wrote at the time that he had used his jiu-jitsu skills to subdue and detain a man who had allegedly stolen a phone from a woman on the street.
Per Kombat, Polaris left behind his wife, Jacqueline, and their 10-month-old son.