Alan Belcher with coaches Daniel Moraes and Helio Sonequinha at Rio Open. Photo: Gustavo Aragão
Alan Belcher is going through the most delicate moment of his career so far. The fighter was in Brazil preparing for his fight with Demian Maia, which would have taken place at UFN 22, had to rush home to the USA due to a detached retina in his right eye, which pulled him from the fight and, after two surgical procedures, has his future hanging in the balance.
“Since the second surgery, they’ve really given no timetable. I’ve gotta get out of the woods. The doctor hasn’t given me any expectations on when I’ll be back or anything,” he told MMAJunkie.com.
Precautions must be doubled. Should he return to combat without proper care, the fighter could lose his sight. Should he go blind in one eye and suffer a detached retina in the other, after taking a hit, Belcher faces the grim possibility of being left completely without sight.
“The biggest problem we’re looking at is if my eyesight doesn’t get better, and if my other retina detaches, then I’ll basically be blind in both eyes instead of just one. That’s the main thing I’m trying to do – is getting my eyesight better in my right eye where I’d be able to depend on my right if I lost my left,” he further elaborated in the article.
So now Alan is patiently following through with treatment and doing what he must to get well:
“Right now, I’m taking it one day at a time.”