Guilherme 'Bomba' Vasconcelos, Former MMA Fighter Who Dated Demi Lovato, Dies at 38

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty

Brazilian MMA fighterGuilherme “Bomba” Vasconceloshas died at the age of 38.

Vasconcelos, who once datedDemi Lovato, competed in 16 MMA bouts, and appeared as a cast member on season 3 of the reality showThe Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.

Recently, he had been competing in the Jiu Jitsu World League, and he frequently posted on Instagram videos of his intense workouts —including his last post on Thursday, Oct. 10.

The athlete hinted at an injury in a post from August regarding a competition in Las Vegas.

“I believe in my jiu-jitsu and I believe that I could have gone further,”he wrote on Aug. 31. “But unfortunately the injury I had in my lower back 1 month ago came back, and when I finished my first fight, I could no longer walk and had to abandon the competition.”

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He continued, “One of the most frustrating situations that has ever happened to me in a competition. Now the focus is on my recovery. I want to [thank] my family, friends and Team, who always support me no matter what.”

The fighter and Lovato were first linked together in July 2016, when an insider told PEOPLE they “had a quick fling” that ended shortly after. But Lovato and Vasconcelos rekindled their romance, appearing to ring in 2017 together.

By May of that year, the couple was no longer together, a source told PEOPLE.

“It wasn’t a dramatic split,” said the source at the time. “Bomba is a good guy, but the relationship just ran its course.”

In recent years, Vasconcelos had become a father to a daughter named Naomi, according to his uncle.

When he wasn’tspending time with his toddler, the athlete was in training — and he gave a glimpse into his motivation with a quote from boxer Rocky Marciano.

“I have always adhered to two principles,”Vasconcelos quoted the boxer in July. “The first one is to train hard and get in the best possible physical condition. The second is to forget all about the other fellow until you face him in the ring and the bell sounds for the fight.”

source: people.com