WEC’s bantamweight (135 lbs.) fighter, Will Ribeiro, was sent to a hospital in Brazil early this morning after a tragic motorcycle accident. According to the report, Ribeiro was riding as a passenger and the driver lost control. His manager Ed Soares was told by one of his assistants that Ribeiro wasn’t wearing a helmet during the accident. He is currently in a coma and has lost sight in one of his eyes.
Ribeiro currently holds an overall MMA record of 10-2, winning four of his last five bouts. He lost his last fight to Brian Bowles at WEC 37: ‘Torres vs. Tapia’ via a guillotine choke submission in the third round.
Here’s a snip from the full report (props to mmaweekly):
"Soares said one of his assistants in Brazil told him Ribeiro was riding a passenger on the motorcycle and was not wearing a helmet. The street they were riding on was slick due to rain. Ribeiro was rushed to a local hospital and underwent emergency… Soares stated: ‘my assistant said that the doctor said for sure that he (Ribeiro) has lost sight in one of his eyes…he’s still in a coma. After surgery the doctor said there is a 50-50 shot that he come out of it (survive)…he’s a very positive guy, very hard-working, a good person…he had had a very rough life. His mother passed away like seven years ago and he took over the care of his younger sister. He’s like a father-brother-mother to her…I’m still crushed right now.’"
We wish Will Ribeiro the best of luck his road to recovery. Let’s keep our prayers with him.
