Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White wished his former fighter well after learning he was shot three times in Africa, as a former congressman revealed the Green Beret is recovering.
Kennedy was shot three times in the leg in Congo last month after being ambushed by enemy forces, who killed and injured 20.
He was in the African country with US Blackwater founder Erik Prince’s company Vectus Global after the company expanded its role in Congo. The company provides consulting and security services.
White was at a press conference for his Contender Series when he learned of Kennedy’s injuries.
‘I don’t know anything about it,’ he said. ‘Obviously, I hope he heals up.’
He then asked reporters where Kennedy was shot. After being told, he said: ‘Oh, legs. I wish him well.’
Kennedy is currently being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the suburbs of Washington after being evacuated out of Congo.
White and Kennedy had a dispute in 2014 when the latter spoke out about fighter pay. Kennedy claimed White lashed out at him in front of at least 20 other fighters about the comment. He claimed he was then sidelined from fighting for it, according to Essentially Sports.
Dana White learned his former fighter Tim Kennedy was shot three times in Africa while doing press for his Contender Series. ‘I wish him well,’ he said
Kennedy was shot three times in the leg in Congo last month after being ambushed by enemy forces, who killed and injured 20
Former Congressman Derrick Van Orden said on October 11 that he had spoken with Kennedy.
‘That means he is not dead and that means I am thankful,’ he wrote on X. ‘I am asking everyone to pray for his healing and that his wonderful family find Peace.’
A veteran special operator reported on his podcast earlier this week that former US Green Beret and UFC contestant had been injured in Congo.
The September 17 attack in South Kivu left about 20 wounded and at least two have been confirmed dead, two sources working with Congo’s government told Reuters.
The deadly ambush included at least seven Congolese, and also claimed the life of Justin Conaglen, a former member of New Zealand’s elite Special Air Service, whose body has since been flown home.
Conaglen, a lance corporal in the NZSAS, had taken unpaid leave from the military in March before officially leaving the armed forces in August, according to The New Zealand Herald.
His remains were returned to Auckland, where grieving relatives and former special forces colleagues gathered to receive him before a funeral was held in Northland. New Zealand’s military confirmed it was helping the family with arrangements but declined to comment further.
Vectus Global has not previously suffered casualties in Congo, a source with direct knowledge of the operation told Reuters.
Former Congressman Derrick Van Orden said on October 11 that he had spoken with Kennedy and confirm the soldier was alive
Kennedy (pictured with Trump) is currently being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
One of the sources who works for Congo’s government told Reuters that Rwandan forces backing the M23 rebels may have surprised them by tracking a drone used for surveillance operations to their location.
A Congolese security source, who said some 20 people were wounded and killed in the attack, told Reuters that villagers were likely among the casualties as well.
Prince’s initial mandate in Congo was to secure and improve revenue collection from the country’s vast mineral reserves, which have been plundered for decades, fueling relentless conflict in the east.
But in January and early February, his forces deployed to Uvira after Washington helped broker a deal for Rwandan-backed rebels to withdraw from the strategic town.
The size of Prince’s forces in Congo is unclear.
One of the sources with direct knowledge of the attack said the Vectus team was traveling between locations when the ambush took place and its sophistication suggested Rwandan forces were involved.
‘It reinforces the need for DRC sovereignty to be restored. It’s an incredibly dangerous place right now,’ the source said.
Erik Prince announced on his podcast that Kennedy had been injured
Two other sources said the ambush was carried out by the Rwandan military.
It has been claimed the wounded contractors were left stranded for as long as ten hours before being rescued.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Vectus Global and Prince for comment.
