Shalie Lipp dead aged 21: Rising MMA star killed in horror crash on bridge just days before huge fight
RISING MMA star Shalie Lipp has died following a horror crash.
The 21-year-old from Breckenridge lost her life following a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 94 that links Moorhead and Fargo in Minnesota, USA.
Minnesota State Patrol reported Lipp was a passenger in a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu which “made contact” with a 2017 Jeep Cherokee travelling eastbound on the Red River Bridge.
According to their report, the incident occurred at about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 7.
It also said that all occupants of the two vehicles were wearing a seatbelt except for Lipp.
The other people involved were all uninjured, according to the crash report.
A recent feature by the Wahpenton Daily News revealed Lipp also excelled in track and field and gymnastics at school.
Lipp was scheduled to fight on May 20 in the main event of Ignite No Mercy 11 in the Kent Freeman Arena in Detroit Lakes.
She was a member of the Academy of Combat Arts in Fargo and had recently returned from a training trip to Thailand to hone her craft in MMA and Muay Thai.
Eric Sweeney, reported to be Lipp’s personal trainer, paid tribute to a “wonderful human”.
They wrote: “My heart is absolutely broken. You were such a wonderful human, full of promise and drive.
“One of the few people I’ve ever met that was truly reaching for greatness. And I will never forget you.
“It is beyond my mind’s capacity today to think that I won’t see you this week …or ever again. We were just cracking the code.
“Being your friend will change me forever. It already has. Thank you for all of the moments.
“All of our discussions, both personal and professional.
“The laughs, the tears, and every emotion in between. I will remember all of them. I am grateful for all of them.”