Godofredo ‘Pepey’ Castro, 38, was found unresponsive on Tuesday night, after 8 p.m., in his jail cell in Florida. The incident came to light as deputies were conducting routine cell checks at the Broward Sheriff’s Office main jail in Fort Lauderdale. They witnessed with a sheet around his neck. He was immediately taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where he eventually died.

As per initial reports, it is believed the ex-UFC fighter committed su-c-de. However, the official cause of death is still pending.

As of now, no foul play has been suspected.

Rony Mariano Bezerra, who was his former TUF Brazil teammate, posted about Castro’s death. “Unfortunately, he couldn’t handle the pressure and ended up taking his own life. May this serve as an example,” he wrote in his Instagram stories, as per Sherdog. “Fighters can be very strong physically, but if their mind are unstable, they can end up committing an act like this.

“Very sad to lose this great partner, an unparalleled guy. A partner, a friend, a brother. Wherever you are, may God bless you. I love you, brother.”

The former UFC fighter was arrested on June 30 on domestic violence charges. That included kidnapping, domestic violence by strangulation, battery, and also witness tampering. Godofredo Castro de Oliveira allegedly assaulted his wife over an argument. The attack left his wife with injuries on her face and neck.

And since his arrest in June, he had been held without bond.

The fighter also ran for city councilor in Fortaleza, Brazil, in 2024. However, he was not elected.

‘Pepey’ was once a dynamic and unpredictable talent, remembered for his creativity inside the Octagon and his willingness to face tough competition throughout his UFC career.

A look back at Godofredo Pepey’s promising run in the UFC

In 2012, the Brazilian featherweight fighter entered the UFC as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Season 1, which was coached by two of the country’s legends, Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort, and he was part of Team Vitor. Among the rising talents, Pepey made it to the runner-up position, even securing a solid armbar victory over Marcos Vinicius in Round 2 during the show. However, his official UFC career actually started with a loss.

At UFC 147, Pepey’s undefeated record was broken by Rony Jason, and after that, his UFC career became a little inconsistent, often going one win followed by another loss. But in 2014-2015, the Brazilian had the most impressive run of his UFC career as he defeated three opponents back-to-back, all by finishes, all in the very first round, earning him three performance bonuses during that stretch.

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In the process, he also faced some of the well-known featherweight contenders in the promotion, like Darren Elkins, Andre Fili, and former UFC fighter Shane Burgos. However, after losing to Mirsad Bektić in 2018 at a UFC Fight Night event, Pepey was released by the promotion. After that, he joined BRAVE CF and continued fighting in other promotions.

He last fought in February 2022 for ARES Fighting Championship but lost the bout.