UFC fighter among 20 killed or injured following deadly attack in Africa

The popular former UFC fighter was part of private military group ambushed in a devastating attack.

Former UFC star Tim Kennedy has been shot three times following a brutal attack in Africa that left at least 20 killed or injured.

Kennedy, a former American soldier who spent three years fighting in the UFC, was reportedly shot while working for Vectus Global, a private military and security company led by Erik Prince, a close ally of Donald Trump.

The former UFC fighter and his colleagues were attacked during an ambush in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last month, with details of the attack recently revealed.

According to reports from Reuters, Kennedy and the other hired forces were “working on an operation to protect mining revenues, combat smuggling and collect taxes for the Congolese government.”

Vectus Global also operates in Haiti and other parts of Africa and played a role in helping Congo's army secure the city of Uvira in South Kivu from Rwanda-backed rebels

In the latest attack, which happened on September 17, Kennedy was reportedly shot three times in the leg but remains in stable condition and remains in treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington.

Overall, about 20 were left dead or wounded, according to sources working with Congo's government.

Seven Congolese and Justin Conaglen, a former member of New Zealand's elite Special Air Service, are reportedly among those to have died in the attack, it is believed that local villagers were likely among the casualties.

One source working for Congo's government claimed that Rwandan forces backing the rebels might have surprised the forces by tracking them due to a drone use for surveillance.

Another source added that the attack happened when the Vectus team was travelling between locations.

After the attack, Kennedy, who is a father of four, was evacuated through Burundi and Johannesburg in South Africa back to the USA where he has been receiving treatment.

Kennedy fought in the UFC for three years and five months, from July 2013 to December 2016, going 3–2 during his spell in the organisation.

The American secured a win over Britain's first-ever UFC champion Michael Bisping during his career, while losing to both Yoel Romero and Kelvin Gastelum.

Since leaving the UFC, Kennedy has taken to social media to post his views on topics like politics, culture and fitness.

Alongside this, he also runs a popular podcast on YouTube interviewing other former UFC fighters as well as military veterans and other cultural figures.

He has also appeared as a guest on Joe Rogan's popular podcast, The Joe Rogan experience, on several occasions sharing stories about his time as a military sniper and about his UFC career.

Ben McCrum is a Sports Journalist at SPORTbible, covering Formula One, MMA, football and golf, previously working with TNT Sports and Manchester Evening News, having achieved gold standard in his NCTJ diploma in multimedia Sports Journalism with News Associates. Alongside writing articles, he's busy winning the office Last Man Standing competition and FPL League (finishing 32nd in the world in 2024/25).

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