WEC, UFC Vet Brian Gassaway Dead at 49
Well-traveled 52-fight MMA veteran Brian Gassaway has died at the age of 49.
Late on Saturday, a friend of Gassaway wrote on Facebook that he had passed. A GoFundMe page has since been created for a memorial fund for Gassaway’s family on Sunday. The news of his death has since been confirmed by multiple MMA media members.
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“Please know that as much as he helped you, you also helped him,” it continued. “You were the reason he lived. You gave him breath. He absorbed and learned from your experience, sharing it with the next student. As students and teachers of martial arts, we are the sum of the teachers and students before us.
“Brian leaves behind his wife and best friend, Mimi, mother, and brother, Wesley. Brian, our friend, our teacher, you will not be forgotten. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. Because of you, we are stronger; we are braver; we are better people. I hope you knew how much you meant to us. We love you, champ.”
Gassaway debuted in the sport in 1996, entering into a one-night tournament in Mississippi. He prevailed in his first two outings by rear-naked choke, both within 100 seconds. Later that night, he fell short to former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Anthony Macias by submission. The man known as “Mandingo” traveled the world in his storied MMA career, heading over to Japan to compete in Pancrase and then later that year to Brazil to partake in an International Vale Tudo Championship tournament.
The Chicago native did not lose from 1998 to early 2000, going unbeaten in 14 bouts while recording victories over names like Travis Fulton and future UFC talent Joe Slick. Returning to Pancrase in 2000, then taking a trip to the Shooto ring, he put himself on the map to join the ranks of World Extreme Cagefighting in 2005. An accidental headbutt with Ross Ebanez in his WEC debut led to a no contest, but a pair of subsequent submission wins for Gassaway on the regional scene punched his ticket to the UFC. At UFC 54, he entered the Octagon, only to suffer a stoppage loss to then-undefeated Diego Sanchez.
Following his UFC defeat, Gassaway competed in various organizations around the U.S., and ultimately made his way back to the WEC to take on John Alessio in 2007. Although that appearance did not go his way, he went on to record several more wins before hanging up his gloves in 2010. His final triumph came under the Bellator MMA banner at Bellator 25 in 2010, capturing a unanimous verdict over Kevin Knabjian. His final MMA fight came against Pride Fighting Championships vet Shungo Oyama, and he suffered a submission loss less than one month after beating Knabjian. After leaving competition, Gassaway served as a trainer and coach in his home city of Chicago, training names like Shonie Carter.
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