Tim Kennedy Wounded in Congo Ambush While on Security Job

Tim Kennedy, the former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight who also served as a Green Beret in the U.S. Army, was shot during an ambush in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last month. Details of the attack only came to light weeks later, when reports from the New Zealand Herald and Reuters began to circulate.

According to those reports, Kennedy was hit three times in the leg on September 17 while working for Vectus Global. Journalist Robert Young Pelton described the operation as a "Tax Brigade" tasked with protecting mining revenues, combating smuggling and improving tax collection for the Congolese government. Kennedy was later evacuated to the United States for treatment.

A deadly attack

Kennedy was fortunate compared with others caught up in the ambush. Justin Conaglen, a former soldier with New Zealand's special forces, was killed. Reuters put the number of dead and wounded at 20, with seven Congolese nationals among those who lost their lives. Vectus Global, a security company led by Blackwater founder Erik Prince that uses mercenaries and armed drones and holds contracts in Africa, Haiti and elsewhere, has not commented publicly on the incident.

The 47-year-old's fighting career ended in 2016. He finished with an 18-6 record in mixed martial arts and twice challenged for the middleweight title in Strikeforce before moving to the UFC.

Life after the cage

Since retiring from competition, Kennedy has stayed in the public eye. He hosted Hunting Hitler on the History Channel and Hard to Kill on Discovery. His military record drew scrutiny in 2025 after he appeared to claim he had been awarded a Bronze Star with Valor; he did receive a Bronze Star for his service, but not with the Valor device, contrary to his statements.

Before the Congo assignment, Kennedy had been serving part-time with the Maryland National Guard in Special Operations Detachment-O, a unit that works with NATO special operations forces. He previously deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan during his military career.