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UFC welterweight prospect Josiah Harrell underwent surgery today for a rare brain disease which nearly costs five figures.
Harrell has not participated in any UFC bouts since joining the organization ahead of UFC 290 in July 2023. Days prior to the bout, his pre-fight medical exams discovered Moyamoya, a rare brain illness that affects blood flow, which led to the cancellation of his debut.
The undefeated welterweight was scheduled to face Jack Della Maddalena on short notice after Sean Brady withdrew from the fight. MMA journo Ariel Helwani tweeted about Harrell's current condition, writing:
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''Josiah Harrell, the fighter who signed to fight JDM on short notice in July but was then ruled out due to a rare brain disease that was revealed during the pre-fight MRI, just had surgery on his brain. The operation, I’m told, took 8 hours.''
Check out Ariel Helwani's update on Josiah Harell below:
In order to help pay for the procedure, Harrell set up a GoFundMe in November with an aim of $80,000. He stated that UFC's insurance does not cover his operation due to his condition being congenital in nature.
The undefeated 25-year-old gave an explanation of why the promotion couldn't help him in response to a fan's comment on his Instagram post. He wrote:
"Thank you boss. Last time I heard their insurance denied me since I was born with the disease instead of getting it from a fight. Win some, you lose some, either way I appreciate you."
Check out Josiah Harrell's statement below:
Josiah Harrell reveals that he remains grateful despite the diagnosis
After being detected by Moyamoya in an MRI scan, Josiah Harrell chooses to view the news positively and is looking to live his life disease-free.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, he stated:
"So far, I don't get angry. Sad? No. It's always been just being grateful. I wouldn't say happy, but excited that I'm able to still live and still put on a show even though there's so many times in my life that I may have not had that same mindset, so, it's being grateful and comparing that to where I have been in my life."
Check out Josiah Harrell's comments on his diagnosis below:
