MMA athlete Shalie Lipp, 21, dies weeks before a major fight.
Shalie Lipp, a young MMA fighter, tragically lost her life in a car crash just weeks before her biggest fight.
The 21-year-old was set to compete against Natalie Gage on May 20 at an event in Detroit Lakes.
She was riding in a car that collided with another vehicle on Interstate 94 in Minnesota.
Unfortunately, Shalie wasn't wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash near the Red River Bridge in Moorhead.
Shalie's passing comes as a shock as she was so close to the biggest opportunity of her young fighting career.
Her coach, Eric Sweeney, wrote on social media, "My heart is absolutely broken," .
"You were such a wonderful human, full of promise and drive. One of the few people I've ever met that was truly reaching for greatness.
"And I will never forget you. It is beyond my mind's capacity today to think that I won't see you this week ...or ever again. We were just cracking the code.
"Being your friend will change me forever. It already has. Thank you for all of the moments.
“All of our discussions, both personal and professional. The laughs, the tears, and every emotion in between. I will remember all of them. I am grateful for all of them."
UFC President Dana white on the death of Shalie Lipp
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White reacted to the death of Lipp on his official Instagram account.
He wrote, "She is a 21-year-old amateur MMA fighter who just passed away in a car accident.
"She was supposed to fight May 20th and just got home from training in Thailand.
"Her 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."
The younger fighter from the state of Colorado, with a record of three wins and two defeats in previous amateur fights, was in Thailand getting ready for her much anticipated upcoming match.
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