UFC veteran and BloodyElbow.com contributor Josh Samman has passed away at a Florida hospital, days after he was placed in a coma. The Tallahassee Democrat reported Samman’s death on Wednesday, with Samman’s manager later confirming the story to FOX Sports.
Last Thursday, Samman was found unresponsive along with his roommate and friend, MMA ring announcer Troy Kirkingburg, in Kirkingburg’s apartment. Kirkingburg was pronounced dead at the scene. An official police statement said that Hollywood (Fla.) authorities responded to "a call of a possible drug overdose." According to MMA Fighting, Samman’s cause of death is unknown, and a toxicology report will not be administered because "Samman survived for days after being found and ‘there are no suitable specimens to test,’" per Broward County Medical Examiner and Trauma Services chief medical examiner Craig Mallak.
Josh’s UFC career began on season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual winner, Kelvin Gastelum. Samman (12-4) would win his first three official UFC bouts, all by stoppage, including a spectacular head kick finish of Eddie Gordon at UFC 181, and a rear-naked choke of Caio Magalhaes. Those two fights earned Samman "Performance of the Night" bonuses. Samman later dropped consecutive bouts to Tamdan McCrory and Tim Boetsch, and was slated to face Oluwale Bamgbose at UFC Fight Night in Albany, New York.
In addition to his talents as an MMA fighter, Samman also ran Combat Night, the biggest amateur MMA promotion in the state of Florida. He’s also a published author, having released his autobiography, "The Housekeeper: Love, Death, and Prizefighting" earlier this year. Samman was a frequent contributor across various MMA websites, including UFC.com. FloCombat.com, and of course BloodyElbow.com. Josh joined the Bloody Elbow writing staff as a feature writer in March 2015, having spent several years as an active member of the BE community, dating back to August 2010.
Josh Samman was just 28 years old.