UFC fighter Josiah Harrell faces high-stakes battle with Moyamoya, prepares for brain surgery

Josiah Harrell has not competed in the UFC since signing with the promotion ahead of UFC 290 in July 2023. The undefeated welterweight prospect was set to face Jack Della Maddalena on short notice after Sean Brady was pulled from the bout. Instead, however, he was pulled from the fight after his pre-fight medical screening revealed that he has Moyamoya, a rare brain disease in which blood flow to certain arteries is constricted.

Nolan King of MMA Junkie recently revealed that Harrell is set to undergo brain surgery on Tuesday. The mixed martial arts reporter tweeted:

"UFC fighter Josiah Harrell will undergo brain surgery tomorrow at Sanford Health Care in Palo Alto, Calif., his manager @MauriceABlanco tells me. Harrell was pulled from his #UFC debut in July when scans showed a rare brain condition called moyamoya."

Check out Nolan King's update on Josiah Harrell below:

The rarity of the disease has caused 'Muscle Hamster' to spend the past four months preparing for surgery. He set up a GoFundMe in November, with a target goal of $80,000, to help pay for the procedure, noting that the UFC's insurance does not cover his operation.

Harrell is expected to be sidelined for three to four months before he is able to return to training. However, it is unclear how long it will take for him to return to competition. Vince Murdock underwent a similar operation for Moyamoya in November 2019 and returned to competition in November 2020.

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UFC fighter Josiah Harrell previously weighed in on his diagnosis

Josiah Harrell was pulled from his promotional debut at UFC 290 in July 2023 after being diagnosed with a rare brain disease. The undefeated welterweight prospect revealed that he remains grateful despite the diagnosis. Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, he stated:

"So far, I don't get angry. Sad? No. It's always been just being grateful. I wouldn't say happy, but excited that I'm able to still live and still put on a show even though there's so many times in my life that I may have not had that same mindset, so, it's being grateful and comparing that to where I have been in my life. It's like we are going up, and we are getting to a point where we deserve to live and we deserve to do this."

Check out Josiah Harrell's full comments on his diagnosis below:

Harrell remains on the UFC roster, however, it is unclear when he will make his promotional debut. He has a professional mixed martial arts record of 7-0, with each of his bouts ending with a finish.