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Bellator Veteran Ryan Curtis Suffers Devastating Spine Injury In Training Accident

Jan 15, 2024Articles, BJJ News

Bellator Veteran Ryan Curtis Suffers Devastating Spine Injury In Training Accident

In a heartbreaking turn of events, the MMA world has been shaken by the news of former Bellator competitor Ryan Curtis‘s severe injury.

The featherweight fighter Leah McCourt, a close friend of Curtis, took to social media to reveal the extent of his injuries – sustained during a training session on January 11th:

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 five months of him in hospital, followed by a further period of time with a specialist spine team.

There is no exact end date to when this treatment will be complete.

Curtis, who has been a professional MMA athlete since 2015 and boasts a 6-4 record, last competed in April at a Cage Warriors event in Dublin, Ireland.
McCourt further elaborated on the impact of this incident on Curtis’s life and career:

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.

Conor McGregor also extended his support to Curtis, urging the community to help:

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