Tank Abbott says he died “five times on the operating table”
Tank Abbott was one of the most popular names during the UFC’s early days. The lovable brawler gave numerous memorable performances, including many instances that forced officials to eventually alter many of the MMA rules that are still used today.
Now 54-years-old, the retired fighter appeared with former UFC champion Cris Cyborg and pro-wrestling star Hurricane Helms this past weekend, and he looks a lot slimmer than his fighting days.
As Tank explained last December, he had a health scare in 2018, and had the toughest fight of his life.
“My body finally caught up with all of my wild life,” Abbott told The Hannibal TV (HT: MMAMania). “Blew a gasket on my liver, but I got a nice transplant and everything is moving right along. It was not without complications, though. I died five times on the operating table, had over six strokes, but I’m still here. This is the hardest fight I’ve ever had. I spent 107 days in the intensive care unit.”
Just a few months after his whole ordeal, Abbott was back in the gym training and doing charity fun runs.