Former Bellator, UFC Competitor Guilherme 'Bomba' Dead at 38

Guilherme Vasconcelos, a veteran of 16 professional mixed martial arts bouts, has died at 38 years old.

Members of Vasconcelos’ family first brought word of his death, and multiple outlets later confirmed the Brazilian’s passing. A cause of death has not been revealed. Vasconcelos posted a photo of a Gracie Barra gym on his Instagram stories less than 24 hours ago.

Vasconcelos’ death was also mourned by members of the MMA community on social media, including longtime jiu-jitsu coach Cristiano Lazzarini.

“Of all the students I had, you were the bravest,” Lazzarini wrote on social media (translation via MMAFighting.com). “Fearless, unbeatable. In moments of chaos, a machine. In trivial moments, a sweet boy. We had a machine that had a bit of everything. Your MMA debut, with a win against a man that had won 10 in a row and had 19 fights, was of the happiest moments of my life in the sport. Unbreakable. So many trips together, so many battles. From blue to black belt, from first to last MMA fights. Man, how much I love you. Unbelievable. Rest in peace, brother.”

Vasconcelos went 10-6 over the course of an MMA career that began in 2012. After competing on “TUF Brazil 3,” his lone Octagon appearance came at UFC 175, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Luke Zachrich on July 5, 2014. “Bomba” also went 3-3 during a six-bout stint with Bellator from 2016 to 2019. His last professional MMA appearance was a unanimous decision loss to Derek Anderson at Bellator 229 on Oct. 4, 2019.

Outside of the cage, Vasconcelos gained a measure of fame for dating pop star Demi Lovato in 2017.