Gilbert Aldana Passes Away

Mar 12, 2007 5:58 PM Scott White

MMA on Tap has learned that UFC veteran Gilbert Aldana passed away Sunday morning when he drowned after a tragic boating accident.

According to reports, Aldana drowned while trying to retrieve a shirt that had fallen off of the boat. A friend on the boat attempted to rescue him but his attempts were unsuccessful. Divers from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office are currently searching for Aldana’s body in Phoenix’ Lake Pleasant.

Everyone at MMA on Tap would like to send their condolences to the friends and family of Gilbert Aldana…

Gilbert Aldana

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I used to work at the gym gilbert trained at in the mornings, and i just figured he would have been cocky and arrogant but he was the complete opposite. He was by far one of the nicest guys that came in, and i wish the best for the aldana family.

Posted by Justin Kile on 2007-04-06 02:32:55

I would like to send my condolences to all of Gilbert&#8217s family especially his wife Christina & his kids. We are praying for you every day. Be strong.

Posted by Rose & Chris Griggs on 2007-03-24 17:43:06

my heart goes out to the aldana family. just wanted to say the best fights i ever saw were gilberts fights. i seen all of them. talk about a knock out artist. its tragic it ended. i believe he&#8217ll be his family guardian angel.

Posted by adam o on 2007-03-21 10:14:22

Gilbert&#8217s death has been pretty hard on all of us. I&#8217ve seen a lot of incorrect information posted on a few MMA sites, but overall there&#8217s been an outpouring of support from the MMA community. I&#8217d like to set the record straight. On Sunday, 11 Mar 07, Gilbert set out for a day of boating with his wife, 2 sons and his boss/friend and fellow MMA fighter Dave and his wife and son. They had only been on the lake for a few minutes when Gil&#8217s tee shirt blew out of the boat. Dave turned the boat to go back to the shirt and told Gil to lean over and grab it. Gil said, &#8220nah&#8230it give me an excuse to jump in.&#8221 and with that, jumped off the boat. Dave turned the boat around again and came back up to Gil. The wind was blowing pretty hard and the waves were about as big as they get on Lake Pleasant and the water temp was about 50 degrees. Dave saw that Gil was in trouble, and immediately jumped in to help him. Dave was able to swim to Gil and get his arms around him. While this was happening, Dave&#8217s wife was throwing life jackets at Dave and Gil, but the wind kept pushing them away. Dave was able to pull Gil back and get one hand on the boat. Between the motion of the boat, the waves, the cold water and Gil&#8217s size, Dave was not able to hold onto Gil. At this point, Dave was gassed from the cold water and trying to swim with Gil back to the boat. Dave somehow managed to get back into the boat and was trying to manuver closer to Gil to grab him from the boat. Gil said &#8220I&#8217m okay&#8221 and slowly sank out of sight. As of Thursday 15 Mar 07, Gil&#8217s body has still not been recovered. We&#8217re hoping and praying to get our friend back. His employer has set up a memorial fund to take care of his wife and sons. Within a few days we are hoping to have a website set up to accept pay pal donations, until then, donations can be sent to:

Christina Aldana

C/O Valley Protective Services

PO Box 11568

Chandler, AZ 85248

If anyone has any question about the authenticity of this post feel free to call Valley Protective Services at (480)777-0003. Thank you for the tremendous support you&#8217ve shown for Gil and his family.

Mark Coxen

Operations Manager

Valley Protective Service

Posted by Mark Coxen on 2007-03-16 03:54:36

it is sad to hear a wounderful man and father see go even when he has on his way to do big things i will always love u cuz but will never forget u

Gabriel Aldana

Posted by gabriel Aldana on 2007-03-13 21:55:26

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Gilbert Aldana Passes Away

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