Iuri Lapicus, a Moldovan-born MMA fighter who competed for a title with ONE Championship, died after being involved in a motorcycle accident in Italy on Friday. He was 27 years old.
Lapicus had five fights in ONE Championship since 2019. He went 2-2 in a no contest against Eddie Alvarez in 2021.
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A One Championship belt stands near the cage during The One: Kings & Conquerors event at the Venetian Macao in Macau on Saturday, August 5, 2017. (Billy HC Kwok/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«The ONE Championship team is heartbroken by the tragic passing of Iuri Lapicus,» the company told ESPN in a statement. «Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones at this difficult time.»
Lapicus was identified as the man who lost control of his motorcycle and collided with a car in Pogliano Milanese, near Milan, on Friday, according to Sherdog. The other person involved in the accident was identified as a 69-year-old woman who was not seriously injured in the crash.
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The MMA fighter was taken to a Milan hospital and fell into a coma, Il Giorno reported. He died three days later.
Lapicus lost to Christian Lee in a welterweight title fight in October 2020 in the first round via technical knockout. He had wins over Shannon Wiratchai and Marat Gafurov before earning his title shot.
The World Strawweight Championship belt is displayed during the ONE Strawweight World Championship: Grit and Glory between Yoshitaka Naito of Japan and Alex Silva of Brazil at Jakarta Convention Center on May 12, 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)
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Prior to ONE Championship, Lapicus wrestled for various promotions and won his first 14 fights as a professional wrestler.