Edson Draggo (Pictures) has a battle in front of him.

The Brazilian heavyweight was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, Sherdog.com has learned. The 30-year-old knockout artist, who has been sharing an apartment with undefeated light heavyweight prospect Thiago Silva (Pictures), crashed his motorcycle and collided chest-first into a tree, causing serious damage to his lungs.

Draggo is being treated at Hospital Amparo Feminino in northern Rio de Janeiro, where he has been placed in a medically induced coma to aid in treating his lung damage. A source revealed to Sherdog.com that although Draggo is not believed to be in a life-threatening situation, the extent of his injuries are not yet known.

Draggo emerged as a heavyweight hopeful in 2005 and 2006 when he ran his record to 9-0 with a string of brutal knockouts, including his 15-second pummeling of Chute Boxe product Helio Dipp and a five-second starching of solid U.K.-based heavyweight Tengiz Tedoradze (Pictures). However, the heavy-hitting Draggo's hype was halted when he made his big-show debut. He was proven to be limited on the ground in submission losses to Polish judo legend Pawel Nastula (Pictures) and Japanese firebrand Yoshihiro Nakao (Pictures). Draggo has not competed since last July, when he bowed out after two rounds against U.K. kickboxing convert Gary "Smiler" Turner.

Draggo was reportedly looking to make his return to action in the U.S. in July. Sherdog.com has also learned that prior to the accident, a bout between Draggo and UFC and Pride veteran Assuerio Silva (Pictures) was being negotiated for an upcoming Jungle Fight card. The two were previously set to meet in a muay Thai bout in July 2003, but Draggo suddenly pulled out of the bout just before fight time, disappearing from the arena.