Rodolfo Vieira, who was gearing up for his fight at UFC Vegas 86 on February 10th, 2024 – against Armen Petrosyan – was struck with a tragedy that took place ahead of the match.
Specifically, Vieira has been forced to confront the loss of his newly appointed coach, Diego Braga, who was tragically murdered by members of the criminal organization “Comando Vermelho” in January 2024.
Vieira thought back to how the collaboration with Braga came to be – facilitated by a mutual connection with Davi Ramos, a fellow BJJ competitor and UFC veteran:
Davi and I spoke, and we thought it would be better if we called him because Davi always had a great relationship with him.
We weren’t that close, but we were always cool, I always liked him, he’s always treated me really well, so we called him.We were training for three weeks already, if I’m not mistaken. I was going to Davi’s gym every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to help, and sadly that tragedy happened.
The loss of Braga, who was not just a coach but was becoming a friend, has deeply affected Vieira:
He was a special man, really nice guy.
I remember when Davi texted me, and I was reading it: “No, it’s not possible.”
I kept staring at the phone and thinking: “Did Davi send the wrong name? Was it another person?”But it was him.
Vieira eventually won his UFC Vegas 86 match via Arm Triangle.
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