Urijah Faber on Joe Camacho’s death: ‘MMA lost one of its soldiers’

Joe Camacho, a 15-year pro MMA fighter who logged time with major promotions such as Bellator MMA, EliteXC and KOTC, died today at the age of 41.

The fighter was pronounced dead at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, Calif., due to an apparent heart attack, according to Sherdog.com.

Camacho, who recently competed at 145 and 150 pounds, posted a 13-19-3 record during his career. He faced a number of familiar names and big-show vets, including Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Antonio McKee and Thomas Denny.

Camacho most recently fought on Nov. 2, when he suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Cleber Luciano at Bellator 106.

UFC bantamweight contender Urijah Faber, who was friends with the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, said the fighter’s passing is a major loss for the sport.

“It’s really unfortunate,” Faber said on today’s edition of MMAjunkie Radio. “He was such a great guy, a positive guy, and loved the fight game. He wasn’t coming off a bunch of wins, by any means, but the guy loved the sport, and he was a true mixed martial artist.

“Love goes out to his family. It’s unfortunate that the MMA community lost another one of its soldiers. He was a true fighter, man. It’s a sad day for sure.”