Josiah Harrell’s tenure in the UFC was one of the shortest of all time. At UFC 290, Jack Della Maddelena was scheduled to square off with Sean Brady when Brady had to pull out with a staph infection. The UFC got on the horn and called for top LFA prospect, Josiah Harrell. With just a few days to go before the event, Harrell scrambled to get his weight down and figure out his medicals – and that’s where things took a negative turn.
As the doctor’s did their final brain scan, they discovered that he had been living with moya moya – a rare brain disease that restricts blood flow to the brain. The UFC not only cancelled the fight, but also cancelled Harrell’s contract. While some might find themselves without hope, Harrell looks back at the ordeal in a positive light.
“I look at it with a lot of gratitude,” Harrell explained. “I look at it as in like, legit, since I was born, because I was born with the brain disease, from football, to wrestling, to karate, to trotting track, to drinking, to partying, to any sort of relationships I’ve had – anytime my blood pressure goes up, that’s another opportunity where I could risk having a stroke. I could risk having a seizure.”
Not only did that give him a more positive outlook on live, but it brought him closer to his faith.
“I spent my whole life pretty much, I’m not saying needing to die, but playing with fire, being right on that line, and that’s what brought me so close to Jesus,” he said. “That’s pretty much what it comes to, is that looking back’s brought me more faith in my purpose, which is fighting, and then also my Lord Jesus.”
Now stronger than ever – in both his faith and in the cage – Harrell is back to work. He rides a three-fight win streak into Friday’s LFA 224. He faces fellow prospect Bekmyrza Dosmatov in a welterweight co-main event. Despite knowing how good the Kyrgyzstani fighter is, Harrell just has too much confidence to be deterred.
“I have a problem where now I believe in myself. Beforehand, I didn’t really believe in myself too much. I’m like, fuck it, who cares. Now I know I believe myself. I know what I’m capable of,” Harrell said. “If we had a game plan for the guy, I mean, obviously anybody that’s smart, it’s like stay away from his wrestling, but whatever is going to happen is going to happen. If we grapple, we grapple. If we strike, we strike.”
You can see Harrell ply his trade at LFA 224 on VICE TV. The fight card begins at 7:30pm EST.
