Pawhuska-born Chance Rencountre has some recuperating to do.
On Feb. 19, Rencountre, Osage, fought in the nationally televised Bellator MMA co-main event fight on Showtime from inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Rencountre is 16-4 with seven first-round finishes.
“I’m excited to perform, to headline one of the largest promotions out there and hopefully put a number by my name,” Rencountre said before the fight. “At the end of the day, it’s a really big stand-out fight for this one.”
The fight didn’t go as planned. Just 38 seconds in, his opponent, Bellator Welterweight Champion and No. 9-ranked Andrey Koreshkov (24-4), broke five of Rencountre’s ribs when he connected a spinning back kick straight into his rib cage.
Rencountre collapsed and the referee quickly called the fight to a stop.
Later, Rencountre posted on social media, “Feeling pretty chipper for a man with 5 broken ribs, a punctured lung half full of blood and a bruised kidney.” He posted a photo of himself in the hospital along with the X-ray of his rib cage.
Rencountre has wrestled for most of his life. Growing up on the Osage Reservation, he wrestled all through his youth, then for Pawhuska High School, and into college at Labette Community College and Fort Hays State University in Kansas. Wrestling match after wrestling match led to his pro first title at the DCS Welterweight Championship and a title at the C3 Fights Welterweight Championship.
When he’s not working as an independent contractor, or as an MMA fighter, Rencountre is a proud father to his young daughter, Suri.
Rencountre also posted: “Not the way I’d envisioned my Bellator return playing out but congratulations to @koreshmmarus and a big thank you to all the @bellatormma staff for all their hard work both pre and post-fight. I’m feeling very well taken care of.”
With additional reporting by Natasha Lovato
, broke five of Rencountre’s ribs when he connected a spinning back kick.){kind=link}