UFC fighter Josh Samman passes away at 28

Image: Dave Mandell/Sherdog

UFC fighter Josh Samman has passed away at just 28 years old.

Late last week, the Ultimate Fighter veteran was found unresponsive alongside MMA ring announcer and friend Troy Kirkingburg who had already passed away. He had been hospitalized and in critical condition since that point.

It was speculated that the cause was a drug overdose, but Smman’s mother disputed the rumours, telling Fox Sports that “there was no heroin found in Josh’s system whatsoever”.   

Samman had an 11-4 MMA record, including 3-2 in UFC. After getting to the big show in April 2013 and winning three straight, he had lost his last two fights, most recently being knocked out by Tim Boetsch on July 13th in Sioux Falls.

He competed on season 17 of TUF, advancing to the semifinals of the middleweight tournament before losing to eventual winner and current UFC welterweight Kelvin Gastelum.

Recently, Samman got some praise for his contributions to Bloody Elbow, giving readers a different look at the life of being an MMA fighter.