Walter “Pops” Carvalho Sr., who trained UFC champions and world champion kickboxers but reserved a big space in his heart for Hilo’s finest fighters, died on Thursday, March 23.
He was 83.
Carvalho suffered from vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels that causes changes in the blood vessel walls, and passed away at Kaiser Permanente in Fremont, Calif., where his gofundme.com page shows UFC champions Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, and Luke Rockhold by his bedside.
Pops trained fighters for over 46 years. He was taken off dialysis and given three days to live but survived for five days, fighting to the very end, according to his son Wally Carvalho.