Dana White addresses death of rising MMA talent Shalie Lipp

UFC president Dana White was a little more emotional than usual at Saturday night’s UFC Charlotte post-fight press conference, though it had nothing to do with the fight card. It had to do with the loss of an up-and-coming talent, Shalie Lipp, whose dreams were focused squarely on the UFC.

Rising mixed martial artist Shalie Lipp spent years becoming one of the top amateur talents in the country. Her dreams were cut short on Sunday, May 7, when she died in a car crash in Minnesota.

“It messed me up for a few days,” said White, who was still visibly shaken when recounting the significance of Lipp’s death to him.

“Tragic things happen every day, but that one got me. She was a 21-year-old MMA fighter… Her mom went found her journal and was reading her journal. At the end of every entry, Dana White will know my name.”

Lipp had been scheduled to fight her next bout on Saturday, May 20. She was 21 years old. And Dana White most definitely knows her name.

(Photo courtesy of https://www.instagram.com/shalielipp/)

UFC Charlotte Press Conference: Dana White