UFC veteran Benji Radach passes away at 45

Benji Radach has died at the age of 45.

Radach’s family first posted the news of the mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran’s passing on Facebook before being confirmed by MMA Fighting. The cause of death is unknown at this time.

The Castle Rock, Washington native quickly became a top Middleweight after starting his career in March 2001. Radach started his career 15-1 (1 no contest) with his lone loss coming to future Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion, Sean Sherk. The fight was Radach’s third and final fight in the promotion as he went 1-1 (1 no contest).

Before Radach’s UFC arrival in May 2002, he competed in the second World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) event when he defeated Royden Demotta via a 61-second technical knockout. He’d eventually enjoy a stint with IFL post-UFC, going 6-1 under the banner.

Radach closed out his 29-fight career with appearances in Elite XC, Strikeforce, and lastly his last fight at Bellator 137 in May 2015. Radach competed at Welterweight and Light Heavyweight in addition to his primary time at 185 pounds. He went 21-7 (1 no contest) by the time he retired