Former UFC fighter Godofredo Pepey, whose full name was Godofredo Castro de Oliveira, was found dead in his jail cell in Florida on Saturday night at the age of 38. Authorities say it appears to be a suicide.
According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, a detention deputy doing routine checks at the jail found Pepey unresponsive in his cell just before 8 p.m. Jail staff reportedly removed a sheet from around his neck and immediately began life-saving efforts. He was then taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
Detectives say no foul play is suspected at this time, and his death is being investigated as an apparent suicide. The official cause of death will still have to be confirmed by the medical examiner’s report, but for now, that’s the working conclusion from authorities.
Pepey was in custody facing serious charges tied to a domestic violence case involving his wife. Online records showed he was being held without bond after a June arrest on four charges, including three felonies: kidnapping, tampering with a victim, and battery, plus an additional misdemeanor battery charge. He had pleaded not guilty.
Reports say the alleged incident stemmed from a jealousy issue. According to a police report cited by the New York Post, he was accused of dragging his wife by her hair and choking her until she lost consciousness multiple times.
The attack reportedly left her with visible injuries to her face and neck. So while he was a known professional fighter in the cage, the accusations painted a much darker picture of what was happening behind closed doors.
For UFC fans, Pepey was a recognizable name for a period of time. He fought in the promotion from 2012 to 2018, going 5-6 in the organization. His style was aggressive and unpredictable, and he competed on some notable cards over the years.
His last professional MMA bout came in 2022, long after his main run in the UFC spotlight, which is often the pattern for fighters trying to hang on in regional circuits and smaller promotions.
Now, that career is overshadowed by both the serious allegations against him and the way his life ended: alone in a jail cell, with unanswered questions and a family left behind in the wreckage.
Whenever a story like this comes up, it’s a reminder that mental health struggles can intersect with violence, legal trouble, and personal collapse in complicated ways. None of that excuses the alleged behavior. But it does show how fast a life can spiral when anger, control, and instability go unchecked.
