Bellator veteran Ryan ‘Chaos’ Curtis continues to astound just months out from sustaining a serious spinal injury in training earlier this year that had prompted concerns that he would be paralysed for life.
Back in January, flyweight fighter Curtis was badly injured in a training incident in which he suffered a broken neck, broken back and dislocated spine. The accident prompted a rallying call from the MMA community in Ireland and abroad, with the likes of Conor McGregor, John Kavanagh and others such as Molly McCann and Dillon Danis contributing to a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to help pay for Curtis’ recovery.
And now, just eight months after being told by doctors he may never walk again Curtis has posted footage to social media showing him walking, lifting weights and undergoing other recovery steps at a facility in Dallas, Texas.
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“Really hard to explain to the average person the loneliness of being by yourself for a prolonged period of time away from home all while learning to walk again,” Curtis wrote on Monday. “On top being put through horrible things worse than the injury by bad people but they will all be exposed soon don’t worry. Obviously the toughest being away from my daughter, away from my dog, away from friends & family, away from the comforts of beautiful Ireland.
“A lot of the time it’s the mental struggle that’s the hardest but thankfully that’s where I’m strongest. Working everyday in a world class gym with world class trainers is 100% the reason why the struggle is worth it. Unfortunately we just do not have these kind of facilities in Ireland so I guess for now it’s short term suffering for long term gain.
“I have been told time and time again that I should not be able to do these kind of things 8 months in with how severe my injury was but just like on day 1 I told everyone I would be on route to do what I said. That is not arrogance I just believed in my whole heart and mind I would be where I am today. I am no different to anybody reading this right now. I just refuse to take no for an answer and do not let other people put their limitations on me.
“The people I have met here in Texas are some of the best people I have met in the world and will call them friends for life. They have really helped me get through the struggle of missing home. My inbox still floods with people checking in on me everyday. That alone says I am beyond rich. Rich with the real number one currency in life. Human relationships & connection. So thank you to everyone still checking in and supporting it means the world.’
