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“We Started as White Belts Together” – BJJ Star Gordon Ryan Along With UFC Stars Mourns the Death of Legendary Grappler Orlando Sanchez

Published 12/17/2022, 3:31 PM EST

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Grief struck the combat sports world when the news of the untimely passing of the grappling legend Orlando Sanchez broke out. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star and former ADCC champion was just 40 years of age when he passed away. After the circulation of rumors regarding his death, his friends finally confirmed it. His gym association also put out a post on their Instagram handle confirming the death of ‘The Cuban Tree Stump’. The noted UFC Welterweight fighter and submission grappler, Jake Shields took to Twitter in order to vent out his grief on the passing of the submission grappling star, Sanchez.

The grappling star is survived by his wife and three children. Sanchez reached the peak of his career in 2015 when he won the ADCC 99+kg championship, defeating Jared Dopp. Sanchez had also gained significant fame in the MMA community after a video surfaced, which showcased him and the noted UFC Middleweight, Sean Strickland, getting into a heated altercation during a training session.

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Jake Shields and Gordon Ryan mourned Orlando Sanchez’s death

The recent submission grappling star, Gordon Ryan, also mourned the demise of Sanchez along with the retired UFC Welterweight fighter, Jake Shields. Ryan visited his Instagram profile and uploaded a heartfelt post about Sanchez.

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His post consisted of a monochromatic snap of the faller submission grappling legend which read, “In memory of Orlando Sanchez. 1982-2022”. He also wrote a touching caption to his post, which read, “Someone who I talked to a lot, someone who I was cool with, and someone who carried the American flag at the highest levels of our sport for nearly a decade.”

Ryan then added, “He always said the days he had left were icing on the cake and he would want us celebrating the crazy life he lived rather than crying about the fact he’s no longer here. Such sad news. He will be gone but never forgotten. His history lives forever.”

The UFC veteran, Jake Shields, also decided to use his Twitter handle to vent out his heartbroken state on the demise of Sanchez.

He wrote, “Just heard the sad news that world champion grappler Orlando Sanchez has passed away #RIP brother”.

Shields’ fans and other concerned Twitter users replied to his tweet and exhibit their heartbroken feelings at the passing away of the legendary grappler.

Fans joined Jake Shields and Gordon Ryan in mourning the demise of Orlando Sanchez

The news of Sanchez‘s demise created massive headlines. Numerous fans took to online media like Shields in order to vent their grief about this unruly incident. A lot of them also mentioned that it no not the age for Sanchez to leave the world. Jake Shields and Gordon Ryan received lots of online compatriots.

One Twitter user captioned his post, Another one #diedsuddenly Orlando Sanchez Rip“. The grief was evident in his post.

Another user posted:

Also, a user’s comment also called out the UFC color commentator Joe Rogan to talk about this issue. She wrote:

Further, a user put up an example of how grounded Sanchez was as a man. He wrote, “RIP Orlando Sanchez. Dude just liked one of my posts the other day. Always such a nice guy whenever he reached out. Sad”.

One of his friends, Chance Glasco, also mourned his death by posting an old photo of him with Sanchez. He wrote:

A fan also expressed disbelief at this incident and wrote:

One more user posted a heartfelt caption on his post. He wrote:

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We at EssentiallySports are also grieved at the untimely passing away of such a combat sports legend. We offer our condolences to his family and loved ones in this tough situation. R.I.P ‘The Cuban  Tree Stump’.

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Written by:

Souvik Roy

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Souvik Roy is currently a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. An avid UFC follower, Souvik combined his love for the sport and his passion for words to turn his interest into his Livelihood. A Diploma holder in Electrical Engineering, Souvik has worked as a Freelance Link Builder and Content Writer previously and wrote for various clients and businesses.
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Edited by:

Vineet Nandwana