UFC President Dana White donated $10k to John Esposito after the Muay Thai fighter lost his legs in a tragic work accident

UFC President, Dana White, has donated $10K to John Esposito after the Muay Thai fighter lost his legs in a tragic work accident.

It was back in December of 2021 that John Esposito lost both of his legs in a horrific accident. Esposito was struck by a car while working on a road project in Somerset County.

The public works employee was filling in potholes on the side of a highway, when a car sped into the work area, hitting him from behind. Esposito was instantly pinned against a trailer and the amputation of his legs happened at the very scene of the accident.

Recalling the incident, Esposito said:

“Halfway through the flight on the medivac, I flatlined. They were able to resuscitate me, though, and bring me back to life.”

Speaking to “NJ Advance Media“, Esposito shared his thoughts while hospitalized:

“When I was laying there in the hospital, I realized I have two paths ahead of me. I can mope and cry about it, but what’s that going to do for me, or I can learn and adapt.”

Continuing Esposito said:

“Of course, I still have my moments. Muay Thai, I think, helped me a lot. It’s all about perspective. If you look at it as your life’s over, that’s what it is going to be. Just like positive thoughts, your negative thoughts can manifest into reality.”

The founder and president of ‘The Muay Thai Project’, Liam Tarrant, with the assistance of Chris and Sarah Romulo started a GoFundMe to help the fighter on his road to recovery.

Tarrant appeared on UFC fighter Angela Hill’s ‘Ceremonial Weigh-In’ podcast and shared John Esposito’s story.  Dana White took notice and made a donation to the cause.

The GoFundMe is already approaching $30,000 in donations, $10,000 of which was donated by UFC President, Dana White.

The former fighter is now relearning how to walk using prosthetic limbs and getting instructed on how to drive a vehicle using hand controls.

Esposito is also back at his gym in Dunellen, doing pad work, a boxing training exercise, and although he can’t train in Muay Thai, he still watches others master the sport.

The former Muay Thai fighter is vowing to return to the ring, drawing inspiration from a Texas boxing league for amputees.

Speaking about what is next, Esposito continued:

“Right now, I just don’t think there’s any commission that would allow that. Believe me, if there’s a way to keep doing Muay Thai, I would certainly do that.”

“I want to start getting into boxing.”

It sounds like Esposito is on the road to recovery, with a new goal of getting back in the ring albeit in a different capacity.