Picture Credit: Twitter
Matt “The Belt Collector” MacGrath is currently battling stage 4 cancer and is focussing on his recovery. He is taking a break from his sport to be with family and get treatment. The 43-year-old slugger has taken to gofundme to help ease some of the financial burden that cancer treatment brings.
From P.E.I Province, MacGrath earned his moniker of ‘The Belt Collector’ through sheer grit and hard work, winning belts from many regional promotions throughout his native Canada. Making his debut in 2006, the fighter went through several ups and downs in his career. He fought Nordine Taleb in 2012 in the Ione Bellator clash. Matt was 5-0 before suffering the first loss of his career to Taleb. Not one to back down, the Canadian went on an eight fight winning spree which featured a win over Jesse Ronson. MacGrath’s last fight was in 2017.
Since his last fight, he has focussed more on coaching and training young athletes, spending thousands of hours teaching jiu jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, judo and wrestling. He currently lives in Charlottetown, PEI with his wife Melanie and three children. He operates a gym and two judo and wrestling clubs in the city.
MacGrath raises CAD 87,000 fr om GoFundMe
The MMA fighter’s GoFundMe has secured CAD 87,000 so far from a goal of CAD 100,000. The page was set up by friend of the family Bradshaw Campbell who urged people to help the fighter’s family through a difficult time.
Campbell wrote, “When there is a load to carry, Matt is there. When there are tough times, Matt is there. When people need to be lifted up, Matt is there. The time has come for us to be there for Matt in his time of need. I ask this of his friends and family, the sports communities he is involved in, the greater PEI community and those he has helped across this country. If you are reading this and you don’t think that you know Matt, I can assure you that you do. Think back in your life and consider that special friend, family member or coach who always went the extra mile for you?"
He said that no amount is too small and that he hopes people will share the GoFundMe page or leave a kind message for his family.
