Tim Kennedy health update: Ex-UFC fighter stable at Walter Reed after deadly Congo ambush

Tim Kennedy, the 47-year-old former UFC fighter and Green Beret, is currently recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland following a deadly ambush in Congo. Kennedy, who was part of a team hired by Vectus Global to protect mining revenues, combat smuggling, and collect taxes for the Congolese government, was shot three times in the leg during the ambush.

Kennedy was first taken to hospitals in Burundi and South Africa before being flown back to the United States for further treatment. As per Reuters, he is in stable condition at Walter Reed. According to The New York Times, Kennedy was traveling with Congolese soldiers when the ambush occurred in Congo’s eastern highlands, where government forces are battling a Rwanda-backed rebel group.

The attack, which took place on September 17, resulted in the injury or death of 20 people. Congolese forces did not provide sufficient support during the ambush, according to a source close to Erik Prince, whose company founded Vectus Global. Kennedy, who had a 15-year career in mixed martial arts with an MMA record of 18-6, also served in the US Army and National Guard, participating in multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring in 2017.

Kennedy is survived by former special forces soldier Justin Conaglen, a New Zealander, who was also killed in the ambush. Conaglen's remains were sent back to New Zealand where he was cremated on October 1 following a memorial at a rugby club.