“Within a week, I’ll never forget, everything just deteriorated.” – Ramiz Brahimaj
Ramiz Brahimaj finally returns at UFC Vegas 92 this weekend (Sat., May 18, 2024) against The Rock’s favorite fighter, Themba Gorimbo. However, it came with dark days.
Brahimaj, 31, has been out of action for 26 months, suffering from a Brachial Plexus injury and an injury to his cervical spine.
“I had a brachial plexus injury and an injury to my C-5 from spinal stenosis and disc injuries; it set me back a lot, man,” Brahimaj told MMAmania.com. “I dealt with a lot of different things, and it’s pretty messy when that stuff happens. So, for about two to three months, I really had limited function and ability in my arm, and it kept happening. So, it sucked, but I’m here, I’m happy.”
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the brachial plexus is a bundle of nerves that stems from nerve roots in the cervical (neck) and upper trunk (torso) sections of the spinal cord (C5-T1), creating a network that connects to the nerves in the arm.
The Welterweight suffered his spinal injury from wrestling, the sport that causes mixed martial arts (MMA) careers to be cut short (just ask Cain Velasquez or Tatiana Suarez).
“Man, I was wrestling … and it just happened,” Brahimaj said. “I went through, I think four different doctors. Three of them actually wanted surgery — they wanted to do a fusion and use an artificial disc. I heard a lot of different things.
“And there was nothing that I wanted to hear,” Brahimaj continued. “I remember I told them, I was like, ‘Listen, I’m 30 years old. I’m not going to do this — there’s no way I’m going to put myself through surgery and set myself back so much. I’m going to find a way to recover and do it without surgery.’
“So, I started to really deep dive into the world of the spine, C-5 and all about the neck and everything,” he added. “The doctor that I actually met up with here in Dallas, an amazing doctor, assured me that his last plan was going to be for me to go under the knife. He said, ‘We’re gonna do a lot of rigorous physical therapy; it’s going take you awhile, but I just need you to trust me.’
“He was helping me as I was doing my own research on this stuff on the brachial plexus and everything,” Brahimaj added. “It took awhile, but I think it was the right choice that I made. And the function of my arm and the function of my body … everything is back. To me, it’s miraculous, you know, it’s extremely miraculous.”
Having such a horrible injury forced Brahimaj to start thinking about his future, and he was close to retiring from the sport that gave him so much.
“I had a whole letter written,” Brahimaj revealed. “I looked at that letter two weeks ago in disgust because looking back now, you know, it was gloomy. It was dark last year like — I did not know what was going to happen.
“I would make progress, and then there would be days where I’d wake up, and I’m like, ‘F—k, I don’t feel better,” he added. “I just felt like I was constantly just trying to find something to be buoyant. Because during that time, I did feel like I was drowning, but I really think it had happened. It made me so much mentally stronger. That it just opened my eyes to a lot of things.”
While Brahimaj struggled all last year to get back to competing and earning a living, the injury had one positive effect: it made him love fighting even more.
“I need you to understand that through physical therapy, through spinal injections, trigger point injections, it was a slow process, man,” he said. “It tried my patience a lot. It just gave me a newfound love and respect for my job. And, you know, I think I took fighting for granted, man, and it humbled me and woke me up.
“It just made me really appreciative of the things that I have, and most important — outside of fighting — the body and the physical attributes that I’ve been fortunate to have been blessed with,” he continued. “I was not able to pull a five-pound band for like two months. I went from getting ready to fight Carlston Harris, and I was very strong that camp physically. I think I was the strongest I had ever been proud of at that point.
“And within a week, I’ll never forget, everything just deteriorated,” Brahimaj concluded. “I was legitimately brought to my knees. It was one of the most sobering moments. But, I think just being around the team — coach Sayif Saud, being around fights and fighters — is what saved me, in essence. As cliche as it sounds, it saved my life.”
Brahimaj is coming off a first round submission win of Michael Gilmore (watch highlights) and is about to start the first fight of his new four-fight contract.
Life is good again.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 92 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET.
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