Bellator, CFFC Vet Sergio da Silva Dies at 34

Love you guys

— Sergio DaSilva (@thesavage125) December 16, 2020

Sergio da Silva, a former Bellator MMA and Cage Fury Fighting Championships competitor, has died at age 34.

MyMMANews first reported the unfortunate news of da Silva’s passing on Friday. UFC lightweight and friend of da Silva Jared Gordon has since confirmed this Instagram. Da Silva's management team informed Sherdog on Friday that da Silva passed on Wednesday evening, and that the remainder of the details are being withheld out of respect to his family's privacy.

“(Insert generic caption of mental illness/addiction and other various reasons for why all your friends die and wish they had reached out first) f--- this world. Love you Sergio,” Gordon wrote on his Instagram page on Friday about da Silva.

Da Silva was convicted of third-degree robbery for holding up a bank in Queens, N.Y., in August 2017. Although initially found guilty by the jury, he was not sentenced to prison. According to the NY Post, several allegations of juror misconduct were levied, including claims that one juror that researched da Silva ahead of the case. At his trial, ex-mob boss John Gotti Jr. spoke on da Silva’s behalf, claiming that, “I believe the kid is innocent.” Gotti’s son, John Gotti III, trains with da Silva at Long Island MMA.

The New York native last competed in May 2018 at the first and only CES MMA event in New York. There, he faced Walter Smith-Cotito, and won by disqualification in the second round when Smith-Cotito kneed him in the head while da Silva was grounded. Sporting a 7-9 mark throughout his career that includes nine appearances with CFFC over the years, “The Savage” also stepped inside the Bellator cage on two separate occasions. Of note, da Silva faced off against future Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters Aljamain Sterling and Alptekin Ozkilic in his first two pro bouts. Da Silva lost to both men by decision.