UFC Chief Dana White pays tribute to up-and-coming fighter Shalie Lipp after her tragic death in a car accident at age 21… and reveals she wrote about him in her journal every day in her quest to reach the top
- Shalie Lipp was a passenger in a two-vehicle accident in Minnesota on Sunday
- White’s recognition was something Lipp aspired to, according to her mother
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Dana White has honored the late MMA fighter Shalie Lipp in a heartfelt Instagram post following her death in a car accident last Sunday.
According to a crash report seen by Valley News LiveLipp was not wearing a seatbelt when the vehicle she was in collided with another car.
‘I KNOW YOUR NAME……. RIP,” White wrote on his Instagram on Thursday after being made aware of the tragedy.
Lipp was considered an up and coming MMA fighter. She was scheduled to fight on May 20 at a No Mercy XI event.
White provided context for his caption, which was placed next to a photo of Lipp, in the comments section.
Rising MMA star Shalie Lipp died aged 21 after a car crash between Fargo and Moorhead
White extended his condolences to Lipp’s family following her tragic passing last Sunday in ND
“She is a 21-year-old amateur MMA fighter who just died in a car accident. She was due to fight May 20 and just came home from training in Thailand.
“Her mom found her journal and I think she would write at the end of each entry, ‘Dana White will know my name.'”
White revealed that he became aware of the harrowing reality through UFC VP of Talent Relations, Mick Maynard. Fighter Lauren Murphy had first passed the news on to the UFC manager.
‘[She] called and told Mick Maynard the story and it broke my heart. My condolences to her family and friends.
Lipp was reportedly being driven by her coach Joseph Trottier when the accident occurred between Fargo and Moorhead, ND. She passed away on May 7.
Her coach Joseph Trottier (right) was driving when the accident happened on Interstate 94
Before fighting, Lipp competed in gymnastics as well as track and field, including pole vaulting
Trottier paid tribute to the 21-year-old with a series of photos of the couple together after her death
The emerging MMA was set to fight in the main event of Ignite No Mercy on May 20
The 21-year-old man was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt at the time. The other four people involved were unharmed.
Lipp was scheduled to fight Natalie Gage in the main event of Ignite at Kent Freeman Arena in Detroit Lakes on May 20.
She was reportedly on her way to a house in Moorhead to work as a nanny, according to the Alexandria Echo Press.
Lipp trained at the Academy of Combat Arts in Fargo, MN. Owner Dylan Spicer, told Valley News Live; “She was a promising young athlete, really fell in love with martial arts and showed a lot of potential.”