It’s fair to say that 2021 has been a very tough year for Ben Kunzle, who has remained resilient and optimistic throughout. Despite being a standout grappler at Cyborg Abreu’s Fight Sports gym in Miami, he found himself paraplegic after a botched fireman’s carry takedown in the training room.
At this point, Kunzle was an established competitor who had won various competitions throughout his BJJ career and was enjoying his time as a sold brown belt.
It goes without saying that since his injury, life has changed significantly for Kunzle – which makes his positive outlook even more inspiring. Shortly after his life changing injury, he returned to the gym and even trained whilst being unable to use his legs. This also shows the beauty of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and that you can still focus on other parts of your game whilst injured.
His hard work didn’t go unnoticed either – when he was promoted to the rank of black belt by Cyborg earlier this week. Speaking on the promotion, Kunzle wrote “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.” on his Instagram account.
Since the accident, Kunzle has continued his physical therapy and is slowly improving. Although he still uses a wheelchair, he has also shown videos where he can move his legs which shows real progress with his physical condition. Once again, this shows the inspirational power of BJJ!
