Jeff Brady made the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of two others.
A longtime member of the MMA community and a staff member of Bellator, PFL, and Cage Warriors, Brady is being hailed a hero after he died Saturday rescuing two children from a current in the Colorado River near Yuma, Ariz.
Seven hours after his disappearance, Brady’s body was retrieved from the water, according to AZ Central.
“My brother went out on his shield, fighting the currents while lifting his (girlfriend) Elen’s two nephews up out of the water,” Jeff’s twin brother Greg Brady wrote Sunday on Instagram. “The younger brother (10) got swept off the sandbar. The older brother (12) dropped his fishing pole and went after him as any big brother would do! Jeff jumped off our boat and ran and dove in after them both. I was 30-40 seconds behind which felt like an eternity. I dove in and caught up to them. Jeff had been fighting the current and the panicked boys and was completely underwater holding the boys up when I swam up. I hooked his arm and pulled the boys away from him and looked um in the eyes and yelled, ‘Don’t you f*cking drown. Fight and swim.’
“It all happened so fast. I turned and started throwing the boys off of me and told them to keep swimming. A pontoon boat appeared what seemed out of nowhere. Now Julie and I are in deep water with the boys. We get them on the boat and I turned around and Jeff was gone. Jeff gave his life for these two boys. He is an absolute hero. This happened at 11:45 am. No alcohol was involved. Just 100 percent bravery and heart.”
Tributes from around the combat sports world poured in once news of Brady’s surfaced on social media, including 100s of fighters who voiced their heartbrokenness about the situation.
A GoFundMe was launched Monday and shared by UFC legend Dan Henderson. The funds raised will go toward helping Greg Brady with expenses for Jeff’s funeral and family.
Brady was 51. He worked as the director of operations for Henderson’s Clinch Gear and joined Bellator as a marketing and merchandising consultant in 2017. He then joined PFL in March 2024 following the brand’s acquisition of Bellator. Brady also worked as the director of operations for Cage Warriors’ U.S.-based events.
