Former UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy shot three times in deadly Congo ambush

Tim Kennedy, a former UFC middleweight who competed professionally in MMA from 2001 to 2016, was reportedly shot three times in the leg during an ambush in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on September 17, according to MMA Weekly and The New Zealand Herald.

Kennedy was part of a three-man team when the group came under fire. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds before being medically evacuated to the United States, where his condition has been described as stable. The evacuation reportedly took nearly eight hours.

Former New Zealand Special Air Service soldier Justin Conaglen was killed in the ambush, according to MMA Weekly. A third, unidentified team member was also wounded in the attack.

The purpose of Kennedy’s reported presence in the Central African country remains unclear. The New Zealand Herald cited unconfirmed speculation linking the operation to a private security company associated with Blackwater founder Erik Prince, and a possible confrontation with Russia’s Africa Corps. Neither claim has been independently confirmed.

Kennedy, 45, built a notable MMA career that included stints in Strikeforce and the UFC, where he competed at middleweight and faced opponents such as Yoel Romero and Michael Bisping. He retired from professional competition in 2016 and has since been publicly associated with military and veteran advocacy work.