CONOR McGREGOR has donated £25,000 to help an Irish MMA fighter that suffered “life-altering injuries” during a training session.
Ryan Curtis, who holds a 6-4 record, has fought in the likes of Bellator and Cage Warriors but now faces his biggest battle after the freak incident on Thursday.
INSTAGRAM @leahmccourtmmaLeah McCourt, pictured with Ryan Curtis, launched a fundraising appeal for the latter[/caption]
GettyConor McGregor donated £25k to help the star after he suffered ‘life-altering injuries’[/caption]
He was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast following the incident and has been left paralysed in his legs and left arm.
That led to fellow Irish MMA star Leah McCourt making a plea on social media for her followers to donate to a GoFundMe page to help her team-mate.
She also attached a statement that read: “As an athlete and human the unimaginable has happened to our beloved Ryan.
“He was involved in a life altering incident during a training session on Thursday 11th January.
“Ryan has suffered a broken back, broken neck and dislocated spine. During this injury, trauma was also caused to Ryan’s spinal cord.
“The damage is classified as the most severe that can happen to a spinal cord. He was rushed to the Royal in Belfast and underwent emergency surgery.
“Currently Ryan has no movement in his legs or his left arm. The road ahead is unknown and will involve at least 5 months of him in hospital, followed by a further period of time with a specialist spinal team.
“There is no exact end date to when this treatment will be complete.”
She then added: “Understandably he is distressed at present, we have limited access to see him. He is in ICU and hopefully being moved to spinal ward when conditions improve.
“He is still showing his positive outlook, his determination and mindset to overcome yet another challenge that life has presented.
“Ryan will never be able to do what he loves, and fight or train in MMA again. A sport he has dedicated his life to from the age of 11.
“Ryan will be out of work for the foreseeable future and we are trying to take any additional load or stress off Ryan’s family and daughter by creating a page to raise some funds to help towards rehabilitation, vital treatment, recovery and supporting his family.”
Over £74,000 of the £100,000 target has been raised inside the first 24 hours with Irish boxer Mick Conlan and MMA journalist Ariel Helwani among those to donate.
However, UFC superstar McGregor has now given the fundraiser a huge boost as he pledged £25,000.
And the 35-year-old, who is closing in on a return to the octagon, also sent the following message of support via his Instagram story.
He wrote: “Very sad news on Curta. The game isn’t worth the risk. Truth we don’t want to speak on.
“Thank God for your little family Curta, keep them tight and God bless brother, get better will you!”
McCourt has also hailed Curtis – who has a two-year-old daughter – for his “infectious, positive outlook on life” and even though she admits that he is currently distressed, she also insisted that the star is determined to overcome his physical battle.
She added: “It’s times like this we thank God for the team of family and friends we have around Emma, Ryan and Kassia.
“The outpouring of love and support is a testament to who Ryan is as a human and how many people’s lives he has made better by simply knowing him.
“Ryan will never be able to do what he loves, and fight or train in MMA again. A sport he has dedicated his life to from the age of 11.”
InstagramMcGregor posted this message of support on his Instagram story[/caption]