Tim Kennedy, the former Army Green Beret and UFC fighter, is recovering in the United States after being wounded in an ambush last month that left at least 20 people dead or injured in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kennedy, 47, is being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He spoke there Sunday with Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Reuters reported.
“I just spoke to my dear friend @TimKennedyMMA. That means he is not dead and that means I am thankful,” Van Orden, a former Navy SEAL, wrote on X.
He asked the public to pray for Kennedy’s recovery and for “his wonderful family” to find peace.
Van Orden also added a lighthearted reference to the longstanding Army-Navy rivalry, joking that Kennedy’s injuries had not changed his position on the competition.
“GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY!” he wrote.
Kennedy was working in Congo for Vectus Global, a private security company founded by former Blackwater chief Erik Prince, when his team was attacked on Sept. 17. The group was traveling between locations in South Kivu province at the time.
Eastern Congo has endured decades of violence and instability.
According to Reuters, Kennedy sustained three gunshot wounds in the assault, while at least 20 people were killed or wounded.
Those killed included at least seven Congolese nationals and a former member of New Zealand’s Special Forces.
A Congolese security official told Reuters that residents of nearby villages were also believed to be among the victims.
Kennedy was evacuated from Congo by medical transport. Officials have not disclosed the full extent of his injuries.
The former UFC competitor has not publicly addressed the ambush or his condition. His most recent social media post, published Sept. 25 during his recovery, focused on parenthood.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Congolese government sources told Reuters that Rwandan forces allegedly supporting M23 may have tracked Kennedy’s team by following a surveillance drone operated by the group.
Rwanda has repeatedly rejected allegations that it backs M23, despite claims from the United Nations and Western governments that Kigali supports the rebel movement.
The conflict intensified again in early 2025, when M23 fighters rapidly captured territory across eastern Congo, a mineral-rich region known for deposits of tantalum, gold, lithium and other valuable resources, Reuters reported.
Congo’s government hired Vectus Global last year to help increase tax revenue and combat mineral smuggling. The company’s responsibilities later expanded to include operations connected to the fighting.
Contractors working for Prince used drones to support the Congolese army’s effort to reclaim the eastern city of Uvira from M23 rebels. After Washington helped negotiate an agreement for M23 to leave the strategically important town in early 2026, Vectus personnel were sent there.
Reuters reported that the ambush was the first known incident in which Vectus Global contractors were killed in Congo.
The Post has contacted the Pentagon, Van Orden and Vectus Global for comment.
Kennedy served as a Green Beret in Iraq and Afghanistan and fought professionally in Strikeforce and the UFC before retiring with an 18-6 record in 2017.
The father of four later became a bestselling author and hosts a popular YouTube podcast, interviewing UFC fighters, veterans, cultural disruptors and others.
Since news of the ambush broke, the MMA world has rallied around Kennedy.
UFC CEO Dana White said he hadn’t heard the details but hoped Kennedy “heals up and recovers.”
“Jesus Christ. I wish him well,” White said at a UFC press conference last week.
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva called the ambush “terrible news” as he offered his prayers and support to Kennedy.
“Strength to you and your family. We’re all praying that you get well. God bless,” Silva wrote in an Instagram post.
With Post wires
