After spending weeks in hospital, fighter Willian 'Kabuto' Hiroyuki returned home, which had to be adapted to his new needs. In an exclusive interview with Fantástico, he spoke about his recovery.
By Fantástico
Fighter Willian "Kabuto" Hiroyuki gave an exclusive interview to Fantástico about his recovery since being the victim of an unfair blow during a jiu-jitsu fight in Londrina, in the North of Paraná.
After spending weeks in hospital, the fighter returned home, which had to be adapted to his new needs. The routine now includes physical therapy and care from healthcare professionals.
"Before I could slide under, out of nowhere, I blacked out," he recalled. "When I saw it, I was lying on the ground, unable to move anything."
Kabuto suffered the injury on August 22, during a dispute in the absolute category, which allows clashes between athletes of different weights.
In the fight against Juliano Di Pelli Machado, he was suspended by his opponent and suffered a fall after a movement known as pile-driver, prohibited by jiu-jitsu rules.
The impact caused a dislocation between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae, with compression of the spinal canal and serious injury to the spinal cord. As a result, he lost strength in his movements, especially in his hands and neck.
"It's one day at a time. But I won't deny that there are days that are difficult," said Kabuto.
The video of the fight went viral and reached promoter Renato Castro, who is also a jiu-jitsu practitioner. "I immediately said, 'Surely this behavior is criminal'." He reported the facts to the police, who began investigations into the case.
Fighter William Kabuto — Photo: Reproduction/TV Globo
Investigation
The organization guarantees that the tournament followed all the rules of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Confederation (CBJJ) and that the referee acted in accordance with the regulations by not stopping the fight when Kabuto was still suspended, upside down.
"He can't anticipate. That's the rule of the sport. There was nothing he could do. What he had to do, whatever happened, he did. He called the first aid team there to provide first care to William. And disqualify the athlete", explains Cleber Takeuchi, organizer of the championship.
Until this report, more than a month after the fight, the CBJJ had not commented on the case. Contacted by the Fantástico team, the confederation stated that it is "continuously reviewing its rules, seeking to preserve the physical integrity and safety of athletes".
The opponent
After the injury, Kabuto remained conscious and remembers his opponent's reaction.
"He didn't say anything, he just looked at me and continued looking at the ceiling, without any reaction," says Kabuto.
Juliano spoke out on social media shortly after the championship. "I, in order to defend something there, put my knee on the ground and the guy was underneath me, I didn't notice. The guy was very skinny, the guy I think weighs around 70 kilos. And to avoid imbalance, I threw my knee on the ground and the guy was underneath. And there wasn't time to do much," he stated.
This is not the first time he has been investigated for assault. In 2016, Juliano was sentenced to pay moral damages for "slapping a woman in the face and applying a tie".
Rehabilitation
The family house was already under renovation and needed to be adapted to new needs. It is there, surrounded by his relatives and the professionals who care for him, that Kabuto begins a stage that has no end in sight: recovery.
"We have to have hope, because it's still very early, very early, and we can't make any predictions at this point," says the doctor.
"The first thing is to really be able to get my life back, right?", says Kabuto.
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