Italian MMA fighter, Iuri Lapicus dies in hospital after spending three days in a coma following tragic motorcycle accident

MMA fighter, Iuri Lapicus has died after spending three days in a coma following a motorbike accident in Italy.

Lapicus reportedly lost control of his motorcyle and collided with the car of a 69-year-old woman in the Milanese province of Pogliano Milanese last Friday.

When police and ambulance services arrived at the scene, they found the 27-year-old in a coma, having been thrown several metres by the force of the crash. He was airlifted to the Niguarda hospital where he was attended to for three days, but failed to recover.

The Moldovan-Italian fighter had taken part in 16 professional MMA fights, winning 14 of them in an unbroken run before conceding for the first time in 2020.Four of these victories were by knockout, and the rest by submission, with 13 coming in the first round.  

In 2019, he joined the ONE Championship, and his last fight, against Sweden’s Zebaztian Kadestam, took place in August 2022.

In 2021, he faced his most high-profile opposition, Eddie Alvarez, who fought Conor McGregor at UFC 205, and was initially the victor after Alvarez was disqualified for illegal strikes to the back of Lapicus’ head. 
The fight was later deemed no contest.

According to Corriere della Sera, Lapicus is one of three Italian fighters to have fought in a global top promotion, alongside Marvin Vettori in UFC, and Alessio Sakara in Bellator.