Conor McGregor donates €10k to paralyzed fighter Ian Coughlan as Irish MMA community rallies in support
Conor McGregor has donated €10,000 to paralyzed Irish fighter Ian Coughlan’s GoFundMe, as the Irish MMA community continues to rally around one of their own.
In July 2021, Ian Coughlan was preparing for an upcoming fight when he suffered a horrific spinal injury while training.
“I went down in a diagonal way against the wall (I think between the floor and the wall) really hard, and that was me paralyzed,” Coughlan explained in an interview with SevereMMA.com.
The accident left Ian Coughlan, a married father of two stepsons, with a bleak outlook. Irish doctors told Coughlan that it was unlikely he would ever walk again. However, after searching for solutions abroad, Ian is hoping to participate in a combination of stem cell and hybrid assistive limb treatments in Germany, with the hope of walking again.
Unfortunately, this therapy is costly, so Ian is looking to raise €73k to be able to participate in it.
In July, Irish MMA fighter Ian Coughlan was paralysed after a horrific training accident
— Andy Stevenson (@andyste123) November 25, 2021
His last chance of walking again is treatment in Germany costing €73k
PLEASE share and donate whatever you can🙏
GoFundMe: https://t.co/1TDcLAUOkd
Full Interview: https://t.co/e3ayqUZ2rV pic.twitter.com/AofZE05HpD
In recent weeks, the Irish MMA community has come together to help Ian and his family, through a number of fundraising ideas:
- Regional promotion Clan Wars will be donating 1/3 of their ticket sales from their upcoming “VIP Fight Night” show to Ian’s GoFundMe.
“We have agreed with Ian and have decided to run a PPV option at a cost of £15 for the Clan Wars VIP show next Sunday 5th of Dec. For every PPV bought by the MMA community and fans, £5 will be donated directly to Ian.” Clan Wars posted on their Instagram. - Paul Browne, a training partner of Ian’s at Team Ryano and founder of BJJ Strength Camp, will be running in a 4 x 4 x 48 challenge to raise money for Coughlan:
“4km, every 4 hours, for 48 hours in a bid to raise much-needed funds to help him [Ian] out.” - Belfast-based BJJ academy “Forge Grappling” are hosting a seminar with Neil McGwynne on 9th December to raise money.
- John Kavanagh, Andy Ryan, Owen Roddy, Sergei Pikulskiy, Johnny Walker, Brad Katona, Kieran Davern and Paul Redmond are hosting the “Unstoppable” Super Seminar in SBG Ireland on 18th December. Running between 11am and 4pm, the seminar will feature each coach demonstrating their three “unstoppable” techniques. Attendees are asked to donate €100 to Ian’s GoFundMe.
Those who donate €100+ will also be entered into a draw to win a “swag bag” including t-shirts, an SBG Ireland gi, UFC gear, one of the walk-out tracksuits John Kavanagh wore for one of Conor McGregor’s fights.
Conor McGregor also hinted at his attendance at the event in SBG Ireland along with some signed fight wear.
Guys let’s get together and support this young Irish fighter who suffered a terrible injury at a gym in Ireland.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 2, 2021
Coach John and the team at SBG are hosting a training day and my own recovery permitting, I hope to be in attendance. There will be signed fight wear also! ☘️ https://t.co/RipsCbKRIv
- Additionally, McGregor kindly donated a whopping €10k to Coughlan’s cause earlier today, giving the GoFundMe a boost.
If you would like to donate to Ian’s GoFundMe, it can be found here.
