World-renowned BJJ coach Heath Pedigo has sadly suffered a severe eye injury while teaching a seminar and has had to undergo emergency surgery as a result. Pedigo is the founder of Pedigo Submission Fighting, the incredibly successful team that was the subject of the popular ‘Daisy Fresh’ documentary series. He’s a BJJ black belt under Rodrigo Vaghi and an MMA veteran who opened the academy in his birthplace of Mount Vernon, Illinois back in 2016. In less than 10 years of running the academy, he has guided multiple elite competitors to the top of the sport and built something truly special in a city that houses just over 14,000 people.
ADCC veterans like Jacob Couch and Michael Pixley have fought their way to the top of the submission grappling world with Pedigo at their side, and he has dozens of top young prospects training under him right now. The work of an elite coach is never done of course, and Pedigo has been preparing the 5 best grapplers on his team for CJI 2 later this month. Right in the middle of that training camp, Pedigo was teaching a seminar at an undisclosed location when things took a disastrous turn. He suffered an eye injury during the seminar and had to be rushed in for emergency surgery, with additional surgery expected in the near-future.
The explanation was shared in a recent GoFundMe that was set up for Pedigo:
“Heath was recently teaching at a seminar when he suffered a severe eye injury that required emergency surgery. Unfortunately, he will need additional surgeries right away.”
“If you know Heath you know he’s the last person to ever ask for help, which is exactly why we’re doing this for him. Heath has dedicated his life to Jiu Jitsu and has impacted countless lives around the world, always giving without hesitation. Now it’s our turn to give back and support him through this difficult time, just as he has supported so many of us.”
“We want to ensure he can focus on recovery and healing instead of worrying about the financial burden of medical bills and recovery time.”
“If Heath has ever taught you, inspired you, coached you, or encouraged you – please consider giving back. No donation is too small and every share helps. Let’s come together and show Heath the same unwavering support he has always given to us.”
