MMA fighter shot lifeless in grocery retailer ‘execution’ as star chased by two gunmen

Rogerio Silva Santos, an MMA fighter who had also moved into politics, was chased and executed by two gunmen in a horrific murder in a market

An MMA fighter was shot dead after he was chased by two gunmen into a grocery store in a horrific murder.

Rogerio Silva Santos, 36, aka ‘Mad Dog’, was gunned down in the Tessele Junior neighbourhood of Lucas do Rio Verde, a city in Brazil’s central-western Mato Grosso state. Police said Rogerio, whose nickname in Portuguese was ‘Cachorro Louco’, had been pursued by two suspects before he reached the market.

The gunmen then opened fire, hitting him several times inside the store. Police and firefighters were called to the scene and confirmed Rogerio had died at the market. In Brazil, emergency ambulance services are typically provided by the fire brigade.

The two suspects fled after the shooting on May 6 and had not been found by the time local media reported the case.

Local media described the killing as an ‘execution’. According to statistics published online, Rogerio had lost all eight of his MMA fights and last competed in March 2018.

He was originally from Almeirim, a municipality in the northern Brazilian state of Para. In 2020, he stood as a candidate for councillor in Almeirim for the Podemos party, but was not elected.

Police said they did not know why Rogerio was in Lucas do Rio Verde at the time of the killing.

A spokesman for the Civil Police said emergency services were mobilised after being notified of an injured person in the Tessele Junior neighbourhood, but confirmed he had died before firefighters and police arrived.

He said: “The two suspects shot the victim at least three times.”

The Civil Police said the case was initially attended by the Military Police and registered as a homicide.

The investigation is ongoing.