World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight Will Ribeiro was in a motorcycle accident early Tuesday morning and is currently comatose in a hospital in Brazil, according to a report by Frank Curreri on WEC.com.
Ribeiro's manager, Ed Soares, confirmed the news. According to the report:
"Soares said one of his assistants in Brazil told him Ribeiro was riding as 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 surgery.
'My assistant said that the doctor said for sure that he (Ribeiro) has lost sight in one of his eyes,' Soares said. 'He’s still in a coma. After surgery the doctor said there is a 50-50 shot that he will come out of it (survive).'"
Ribeiro, currently ranked No. 7 in the world at 135 pounds, competed recently at WEC 37 in Las Vegas on Dec. 3, where he lost via submission to No. 2 ranked Brian Bowles.
“He’s a very positive guy, very hard-working, a good person,” Soares said of Ribeiro to WEC.com. “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.”
