Borg’s son has surgery again, gym rallies around family
Like his parents, Anthony Borg is a fighter.
Anthony, the six-month-old son of Albuquerque MMA fighters Ray and Amanda Borg, on Wednesday underwent the latest in a series of surgeries related to his hydrocephalus (an abnormal buildup of fluid in the brain).
“Came out of it like nothing, no breathing tube or anything,” Ray Borg tweeted Wednesday evening. “He truly is the strongest boy I have (ever) met.”
Anthony, born on March 27, was less than a month old when he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. The Borgs spent some five weeks in Denver while Anthony underwent several surgeries.
The family returned home on May 25, and Anthony had been doing well. But complications arose, and he underwent another surgery on Aug. 31.
Ray Borg (11-3) has not fought since Oct. 7, 2017, when he lost a UFC flyweight title fight to thenchampion Demetrious Johnson. Since then, misfortune has dogged “The TazMexican Devil.”
Borg was scheduled to fight Brandon Moreno on UFC 223 on April 7 in Brooklyn, N.Y., but he took glass fragments in the eye two days earlier when Conor McGregor shoved a dolly through a shuttle-bus window in an effort to get at prospective opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The Moreno fight was rescheduled for May in Santiago, Chile, but Borg was forced to pull out — unable to train because of his son’s condition.
Borg is scheduled to fight fellow New Mexican Joseph Benavidez (25-5) on Nov. 10 in Denver.
His wife, the former Amanda Lovato, had four amateur fights and three pro fights before marrying and giving birth.
Michelle Waterson, Ray Borg’s teammate at Albuquerque’s Jackson-Wink MMA, said the couple has the gym’s total support.
“His son is a warrior,” she said. “His son is a born champion . ... “(Borg) and his wife are both very strong individuals who have the support of their own family and all of his family here at the gym.
“We’re all here for him and sending him our prayers and our love every day.”
Borg announced Thursday on Twitter that he’s selling “Borg Strong” T-shirts to help pay for Anthony’s medical treatment.
The UFC has made no announcement, but a fight matching Albuquerque welterweight Carlos Condit (30-12) against Michael Chiesa (14-4) on UFC 232 in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 29 is being widely reported.
Condit, a former UFC interim welterweight champion, has lost four straight fights and five of his last six.
Chiesa would be moving up from lightweight to take on Condit. Like Borg, he’s perhaps best known for having taken glass shards in his eye as a result of McGregor’s actions in Brooklyn on April 5.
He has lost his last two fights, most recently by second-round submission (triangle arm bar) to Anthony Pettis on July 7.
Albuquerque’s Sharahya Moreu is scheduled to represent the United States in U.S.-vs.Germany amateur competition on consecutive weekends in Chattanooga, Tenn.
On Saturday, Moreu is scheduled to face Sarah Scheurich. The following Friday, she’s matched against Irina Schonberger. Both bouts are in the 165-pound weight class.
The bouts will be streamed on YouTube, said Yoruba Moreu, his daughter’s trainer.