In this life there are many things that you can be remembered for, but the thing that will always have people holding a special place in their heart for you is the quality of your character. This is could not be any more poignant than the sadness that anyone in the MMA community feels with the recent passing of Joe Camacho. The general public may scratch their head as to who Camacho, but for those engrossed in the sport of MMA and BJJ they knew him as one of the nicest guys in the sport.
The 30 plus fight veteran may have never been a world champion, but his passion for fighting showed throughout his career. He did not view MMA as a job or a commitment but more of a passion. At the age of 41, he still continued to train and teach everyday at his gym. He also stepped into the Bellator cage just at the beginning of November against Cleber Luciano. His love for the sport did not end there since Camacho had competed just this week in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The ground game was a real passion of Camacho has he had earned a second degree black belt under Aloisio Silva.
The MMA and BJJ community took this loss very hard, and Camacho’s passing elicited reactions from a myriad of fighters and trainers. Here are just of the few that came into contact and were close to the BJJ black belt Joe Camacho.
"Sad to say that my friend, MMA fighter, Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt & all around great guy, Joe Camacho has passed on from a Heart Attack. RIP Joe" John McCarthy
"Joe Camacho passed away. Always a very nice helpful person looking to spread knowledge and offer help. God speed to his family and friends." Brett Cooper
"RIP joe camacho. My cousin died this morning of a heart attack. I love you bro." Charlie Valencia
"Just got the sad news from @charlievalencia that his brother & my friend & fellow MMA fighter Joe Camacho unexpectedly died today. RIP Joe!" Urijah Faber
"Just heard about the death of Joe Camacho. He was a former teammate of mine and helped me get my start in MMA. He would fight ANYONE. RIP" Jimmy Smith
"RIP Joe Camacho, black belt & Bellator fighter.He suffered a heart attack this morning.I just saw him competing @ the BJJ tourney on Sat :(" Carla Esparza