MMA media pioneer Jordan Breen has sadly passed away on the eve of his 38th birthday.
“Breaks my heart to share the news to the MMA world that Jordan Breen has passed away,” long-time journalist Mike Bohn wrote on X. “Jordan forgot more about MMA than most of us will ever remember. One of the smartest souls I ever met. His passion was truly unique. Today would’ve been his birthday. Will miss you buddy.
Breen was the Sherdog website’s administrative editor for a long time, but was best known for ‘The Jordan Breen Show’ on TJ Desantis’ pioneering ‘Sherdog Radio Network’, which had began in the mid-2000’s and was essentially the precursor to the never-ending wave of MMA podcast content that would eventually follow in later years.
Listening to Breen back then it was clear that he was a unique, eccentric, one-of-a-kind character with an unparalleled knowledge and enthusiasm for MMA, to the extent that he would happily hold court on the upcoming prospects from obscure Japanese MMA promotions that no-one had even heard of yet for several hours at a time, or gleefully reminisce about long-forgotten moments in MMA history.
And the remarkable thing about the man sometimes referred to as ‘The Mastermind’ was that he could pretty much hold a conversation about any topic with that same level of detail and insight, whether it was other sports, music, politics or essentially anything else that sprung to mind, and do so in a vibrant, engaging way.
Breen’s uncanny, encyclopedic understanding of MMA led to him being an influential figure among hardcore fans of the sport during that time, and the palpable sense of awe from his journalistic peers who interacted with him over the years due to the depth of his knowledge is reflected in the moving tributes that have already been posted following his passing.
Jon Anik: “Rest in peace to the inimitable @jordanbreen. He was a massive influence on me in my formative years of covering MMA. Was so impressed by this brain and his ability to write and speak about MMA. Glad we had him on @AnikFlorianPod when we did but, man, I’d love a word now.”
Ariel Helwani: “Heartbroken hearing about the passing of Jordan Breen. A walking, talking MMA encyclopedia. As eccentric, colorful and unique a character MMA media has ever seen. And more importantly, a good dude with a big heart. His presence has been missed as of late, and it’s a tragedy we’ll never hear from him again. He will most definitely be missed.“
Luke Thomas: “I am devastated by this news. One of the brightest minds I ever encountered in combat sports. He loved MMA and understood it in a way few ever could. A unique and original voice. He will be so greatly missed. What terrible, terrible news.”
TJ Desantis: “The news of Breen’s passing is really hard to process. Jordan was one of my favorite people to ever have had the pleasure to work with.”
Jeff Sherdog: “Jordan had a huge part in making Sherdog the best and a pivotal role in shaping MMA coverage for what it is today. He will be deeply missed.”
John Morgan: “Don’t think there is a single person in this industry that wasn’t amazed by Jordan’s depth of knowledge and passion for combat sports. True OG.”
Dave Meltzer: “Oh My God. I’m so sorry to hear this. He was a legit genius. His MMA knowledge was the top 0.5 of a percent level.”
Ben Fowlkes: “This is terrible news. Jordan was one of a kind. We had bizarre, fascinating conversations I still think about. What a loss.”
Chad Dundas: “Every time I talked to Jordan Breen, he was brilliant, hilarious and kind. I wish MMA had 50 of him — but of course, there could only ever have been one.”
Mike Chiappetta: “Oh no. He was such an interesting & bright guy. Terrible news. Condolences to his family, friends and to the MMA community.”
Unfortunately, despite his enormous talent Breen faded away from the sport in later years after being caught up in wide-scale layoffs at Sherdog, while also battling with alcohol and drug addiction. His official cause of death hasn’t been released at this time.
Gone, but impossible to forget. RIP Jordan.
