Conor McGregor donates €10,000 to help fighter paralysed in training accident

Top Irish prospect Ian Coughlan was training for his return to the cage when he suffered a freak injury in sparring, and must pay €73,000 for surgery to walk again

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Conor McGregor: Who will he fight next?

Conor McGregor has donated €10,000 to help MMA fighter Ian Coughlan try to walk again after he was paralysed in a training accident.

Coughlan was one of the most exciting prospects in Ireland and was preparing for his return to the cage after making his Bellator debut when he was paralysed during a sparring session.

He now is looking to raise €73,000 in an effort to get surgery that could allow him to walk again after suffering the horror injury, with a GoFundMe page set up to help fund the procedure.

UFC legend McGregor has pledged €10,000 to the cause, and implored his nine million fans to also contribute, with the page currently having made just under €39,000 within ten days of being posted.

His coach John Kavanagh will be hosting a training day at his SBG Ireland training base to raise funds, which McGregor has said he is hoping to attend should his own injury permit it.

The UFC star is recovering from a broken leg, and is likely to return to the UFC next year once he is given the all clear by doctors.

The event will be attended by Kavanagh, along with fellow top Irish coaches Owen Roddy and Andy Ryan, as well as UFC fighter Johnny Walker, Ultimate Fighter winner Brad Katona and Irish MMA legend Paul Redmond among others.

It will take place at the SBG Ireland HQ in Dublin on December 18, with participants of all levels encouraged to take part once they have made a donation to the GoFundMe.

Should anyone donate more than €100, they will be entered into a draw to win some merchandise from Kavanagh, including a fight kit he wore for one of McGregor’s UFC bouts.

McGregor has also pledged to donate some signed gear to help encourage fans to donate to the effort, which has captured the imagination of the Irish MMA community.

Speaking with Severe MMA, Coughlan said that the injury was the absolute worst case scenario not only for his career, but his life, as recovery will likely plunge him into severe debt.

“It has been the absolute worst five weeks of my life,” he said. |It has been horrific.

You can donate to Ian Coughlan’s GoFundMe effort by clicking here.

“What the doctors here told me – if you could imagine what my worst, worst nightmares about this injury were – what they told me was ten times worse.

“All I was like, ‘will I be able to fight MMA again; will I be able to fight MMA again?’ But unbeknownst to me – if I’ll be able to walk again that’ll be huge.

“Then they’re telling me I’ll never even be able to drive again, even a disabled car. That’s how bad my condition is. For the rest of my life I’m going to have carers in my home four times a day.

“There’s going to be physical consequences with this for the rest of my life. There’s just no ifs or buts about that. The key is getting the most amount of ability back; and the most amount of independence back.”