Combate America’s boss pays 5k towards medical bill from another promotion

There are any number of horrifying clips of a fighter breaking a leg while executing or defending a low kick. The most sensational of course was Anderson Silva, who spent six long months slowly recovering from the injury.

The Spider’s rehab and return were meticulously followed by the media. However, few gave thought to costs. Silva is a multi-millionaire and the UFC covers medical costs. It was all paid for.

Deivison Ribeiro broke his leg at Titan FC 39. This is what it looked like:

https://twitter.com/selim_mg/status/741470924533161984

“>June 11, 2016

It makes you shudder. The financial toll makes you shudder too.

The Florida commission requires promoters to have $20,000 in accident insurance and $1,000,000 in accident insurance, both of which Titan met. This will cover a broken nose nicely in the US, but not a badly broken leg. Ribeiro now owes $60,00 beyond the amount paid by the mandatory insurance, and he can’t fight to earn income.

There was talk of setting up a GoFundMe and exploring other avenues for insurance, but Ribeiro still owes a lot of money. Regional fighters don’t make enough to cover $60,000 bills, and most regional promoters don’t either. Athletic Commissions need to anticipate that a bill higher than $60,000 may result from a fight. But that’s talk. Ribeiro owes $60,000 actual dollars.

UFC co-founder and Combate Americas founder Campbell McLaren learned what happened and took an unusual step – he paid $5,000 towards the bill.

I wish I had a more spectacular answer, but at the end of the day, it was just a matter of doing the right thing, said McLaren to Jesse Holland for MMAmania. I had an opportunity to help a young fighter, so I called the folks at Aspira A Más and got it done. Will $5,000 change the world? No, but it will certainly help Deivison get through the holidays and pay a few bills.

Ribeiro told Holland it did more than that.

To have received this help from Campbell was a life-changing event, said Ribeiro. After all I have been through, I was getting very negative. This made me see that there are good people and hope! I can’t thank him enough.

McLaren is actively seeking employment opportunities for Ribeiro. Further he hopes to evangelize on the need for fighters to have insurance. Given the current regulations, fighting without insurance is like fighting with your eyes closed – do it long enough, and it will not end well.

McLaren sees Combate Americas sponsor Aspira A Más, which split the $5,000 donation to Ribeiro, as a natural fit in the effort. The group focuses on health insurance education in the Hispanic community and provides affordable insurance products.

Every fighter in this business goes out there and puts his or her life on the line for our entertainment, said McLaren. The least we can do is make sure we’ve done everything we can to protect them. I believe with the right partners, like our sponsors at Aspira A Más, we can find cost-effective solutions that work.

This isn’t window dressing or some PR stunt to satiate critics of MMA. This is a moral obligation we have in the fight community to look out for one another whenever we can. You can’t always get to everybody, but if you can start with one, then you can at least get one step closer to helping another.

One way we can help each other is through education. Given the current state of regulation, fighting without health insurance is ill-advised. At the barest minimum, know the promotion’s contracted responsibilities and the governing AC requirements, so you are making an informed choice.

And Combate Americas makes its Mexico debut on UFC Fight Pass on Jan. 19.