ONE Championship's Iuri Lapicus Dies from Injuries Sustained in Motorcycle Crash

Former ONE Championship title challenger Iuri Lapicus died Monday in Italy at the age of 27 from injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident last week, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

Milano Today reported that Lapicus crashed his motorcycle into a vehicle driven by a 69-year-old woman in northwest Milan on Friday. He was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in the city, and he remained in a coma until Monday.

"The ONE Championship team is heartbroken over the tragic passing of Iuri Lapicus," the promotion wrote in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones at this difficult time."

Born in Moldova and residing in Italy, Lapicus started his MMA career with 14 straight wins. After joining ONE Championship in 2019, he notched back-to-back submission victories before earning a title shot against 170-pound champion Christian Lee.

After a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lapicus challenged for the title in late 2020 but suffered the first loss of his career when Lee stopped him via first-round TKO. He later lost to former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, but Alvarez was disqualified for punches to the back of the head and the fight was ruled a no-contest.

In his last appearance for ONE this past August, Lapicus was knocked out in the first round by Zebaztian Kadestam.