Benjamin Kunzle is a grappler from Miami, training in the FightSports headquarters under Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu who dislocated his neck 6 months ago while preparing for the IBJJF World Championship. The 23-year-old got promoted to black belt by Cyborg while still being stuck in a wheelchair.
Benjamin Kunzle suffered a devastating injury while preparing for the 2022 World BJJ Championship, and was left temporarily tetraplegic (completely paralyzed). He suffered a freak injury in training, which left him without the ability to move his limbs:
“I remember I was fighting and I went to throw my friend and he fell on my neck and I felt a pop on my neck and I dropped to the floor and screamed ‘AH!’ as hard as I could and my body couldn’t work anymore,” said Kunzle to Fox4 at the time.
After emergency surgery, the prognosis for Benjamin Kunzle improved, with realistic hopes that the would be back on his feet and training again. However, despite regaining the ability to move parts of his body:
“As time goes by I can move more and more. I can’t move my legs or fingers too much yet but my core is moving and we are getting places.”
After going through rigorous bouts of physical therapy, Benjamin Kunzle has managed to regain the movement in his arms as well:
“Since the injury, I’ve significantly improved my mobility through the constant help of my rehabilitation therapists (gradually gaining back the strength and control in my arms and core).”
The relentless champion now got an incredible new surge of motivation as his coach Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu promoted him to black belt yesterday (December 18, 2022), demonstrating faith that his student will be back on the mats sooner rather than later.
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“For me, getting the Black Belt was never and if it was more of a question of when.
Almost 13 years ago I walked into a jiu-jitsu gym with hopes of beating up my big brother I had no idea the effect that the sport would have on my life.
Jiu-jitsu has taught me how to stand up for myself, how to keep going when times get tough, that, even on your worst days, you’re capable of greatness, and so much more.
I want to give a special thanks to my professors @cyborgbjj @deninhobjj @glaudiston_luiz_simczak for believing in me before I believed in myself, and for dedicating so much of the time and knowledge to me
I cannot wait to see what my black days have in store for me,” wrote Benjamin Kunzle on his Instagram account.
If you want to help Kunzle get back on his feet, there is a GoFundMe page where you can contribute.
