UFC Mourns Loss Of Thompson, Kelly

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

“I am praying for both of their families and all of their friends. They are missed so much already by so many. May they rest in peace and glory. Our hearts are truly crushed.” —Megan Olivi

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is mourning the loss of two of its backstage players, Derek Thompson and Matt Kelly, who passed away ahead of the UFC Edmonton mixed martial arts (MMA) event last night in Canada, casting a long shadow over an otherwise enjoyable broadcast.

Cause of death was not revealed; however, Kelly was battling Stage 4 colon cancer, as well as Myelodysplastic Syndrome and was recently moved to hospice.

“It’s hard to find the words to describe the loss of these two,” sportscaster Megan Olivi wrote on Twitter. “Derek was our gentle giant. We flew to and worked so many events together. We quoted old school lyrics, I tried to convince him to come to Pilates, and we share some great meals in whatever city we were in.”

“Matt was such a bright light,” Olivi continued. “If you didn’t know he was sick you would have never guessed by the way he carried himself. He was so funny and even though his battle was so tough, the smile never left his face. He made it a joy to work together and I was always so grateful to see him.”

UFC Edmonton featured the return of former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, who defeated top contender Amir Albazi by lopsided decision. In the co-main event, ex-strawweight champion Rose Namajunas fell to 125-pound phenom Erin Blanchfield after five rounds of back-and-forth action.