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Brazilian MMA Veteran Geronimo 'Mondragon' dos Santos Found Dead After Rio Negro Drowning

Firefighters recovered the 45-year-old beneath rocks near São Gabriel da Cachoeira following a two-day search.

Overview

  • Divers from the Amazonas fire department located his body Monday morning after nearly 48 hours of search operations.
  • He disappeared Saturday morning while swimming in the Rio Negro near São Gabriel da Cachoeira, prompting a municipal search effort.
  • Family accounts posted to his social media say he could not swim and was swept into a deep hole by a strong current before going under.
  • Officials and local reports said he was found a few kilometers downstream, trapped among rocks on the riverbed.
  • The longtime heavyweight fought more than 70 MMA bouts, signed with the UFC in 2012 before a hepatitis B finding canceled his debut, and recently knocked out Aleksei Oleinik in BKFC before withdrawing from a planned bout with Andrei Arlovski.