Alex Oliveira
Being shot or stabbed is disturbing enough, but the manner in which UFC star Alex ‘Cowboy’ Oliveira almost died on the streets of Brazil late last year is even more shocking.
On Christmas Eve of 2018, Oliveira was en-route to a gas station in his hometown of Tres Rios, 80 miles from Rio de Janeiro, when he noticed his nephew and aunt were being confronted by an armed gang on the street.
It would later transpire that a man had pointed a gun at his nephew’s face, while others brandished knives and machetes.
It was at this point that Oliveira stopped his car, got out and was preparing to help defend his family when suddenly one of the gang threw a live grenade in his direction.
A nearby car took the brunt of the damage, but the resulting explosion left fragments of shrapnel embedded in Oliveira’s leg and foot.
Oliveira had to drive himself to the hospital afterwards and after immediate surgery has since made a full recovery, but can count himself lucky that things didn’t turn out much worse.
