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10 MMA Fighters Who Cheated Death Outside The Cage

MMA fighters are used to living life on the edge, knowing that every time they set foot in the cage they risk getting injured, knocked out or choked unconscious. However, some of these battle-hardened warriors have gone far beyond that in their personal lives outside of the cage, finding themselves in truly terrifying situations where […]

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MMA fighters are used to living life on the edge, knowing that every time they set foot in the cage they risk getting injured, knocked out or choked unconscious.

However, some of these battle-hardened warriors have gone far beyond that in their personal lives outside of the cage, finding themselves in truly terrifying situations where they have stared death straight in the face and yet somehow lived to tell the tale.

In this article we’ll explore 10 such stories, from near-fatal accidents to deadly altercations, not to mention several alarming incidents where it’s the fighters themselves who have been their own worst enemies.

Court McGee

Before he became an MMA fighter, Court McGee enjoyed drinking alcohol far too much for his own good.

It was a problem that got worse during his college years, but things really started to get out of hand when he broke his collarbone and clavicle in 2003 and then began mixing painkillers with the booze.

Over the next two years McGee would fall deeper into addiction, moving on to snorting crushed up Oxycontin, then cocaine, before finally turning to heroin as life began to completely fall apart.

One September 9th, 2005, McGee’s self-destructive behavior caught up with him and he overdosed on heroin, falling limp to the floor in the bathroom of his cousin’s trailer.

When paramedic’s arrived on scene they frantically tried to resuscitate McGee, whose heart would stop beating for eight minutes in total. It was only when an officer found a syringe that they realized he’d overdosed and were able to take the appropriate steps to bring him back to life.

Afterwards, McGee would spend six days in a coma and then had to undergo extensive rehabilitation to re-learn basic motor skills like walking.

Remarkably, just five months later McGee would relapse, emerging after a four-day binge with no pants on looking for a place to score meth.

That was the final straw and McGee sobered up soon after, got into recovery and found a sense of purpose in mixed martial arts, which would eventually lead to him fighting in the UFC, where he remains to this day.

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TUF 24 Finale Bonuses: Anthony Smith Banks $50,000 For Huge KO

‘The Ultimate Fighter’ (TUF) season 24 ‘Tournament of Champions’ went down tonight (Saturday, December 3, 2016) from the Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event between pound-for-pound great Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson and TUF winner Tim Elliott was supposed to be a blowout, but it was anything but. Johnson held on in

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The Fight of the Night, though, went to light heavyweight power punchers Jared Cannonier and Ion Cutelaba. Connonier emerged with a unanimous decision triumph, but the former heavyweight had to eat some heavy leather to do so. The two men engaged in a back-and-forth war, but it was ‘The Killa Gorilla’ who came out on the right side of the judges’ scorecards.

Elsewhere on the main card, Sara McMann nabbed one of the Performance of the Night bonuses with her arm-triangle choke submission of Brazilian and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu black belt Alexis Davis. In one of the finest performances of her career, McMann finished her opponent for the first time since her UFC debut against Sheila Gaff in April 2013. Davis, returning from a long pregnancy-induced layoff, outstruck McMann, but couldn’t stay upright. That ultimately proved to be her undoing, as she was submitted for the first time in her 24-fight career.

The second $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus check went to Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith for his second-round knockout of Elvis Mutapcic. It was not easy.

Mutapcic secured a takedown early in the first round and battered Smith from top position for the remainder of the stanza. Smith turned the tide in the second frame, however. A standing elbow wobbled ‘The King’, and punches kept him on his heels as well. Finally Smith ended the proceedings with another devastating elbow strike that crumpled Mutapcic where he stood. ‘Lionheart’ swooped in to polish off his compromised opponent with punches to cap off the biggest win of his career.

Stay locked to LowKickMMA for all the TUF 24 Finale and UFC updates.

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New Bout, Change In Opponent Made For The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale

A couple of fights have been added to the July Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale card, as Cezar Ferreira replaces Scott Askham against Anthony Smith and Joaquim Silva meets Andrew Holbrook.

The event takes place July 8 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena and f…

A couple of fights have been added to the July Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale card, as Cezar Ferreira replaces Scott Askham against Anthony Smith and Joaquim Silva meets Andrew Holbrook.

The event takes place July 8 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena and features Joanna Jedrzeczyk defending her female strawweight title against Claudia Gadelha. The main card and prelims air on FOX Sports 1.

Silva (8-0) and Holbrook (11-0) are each unbeaten and have competed once inside the Octagon. Silva defeated Nazareno Malegarie, while Holbrook topped Ramsey Nijem.

Ferreira (9-5) got back in the win column in April when he defeated Oluwale Bamgbose. Smith (25-11) made a triumphant return to the UFC in February, earning his eighth consecutive fight.

Despite Losses at Final Strikeforce Event, KJ Noons and Anthony Smith Will Be Signed by UFC [UPDATED]

(Before GSP and Carlos Condit, KJ Noons was by far the biggest pain in Nick Diaz’s ass. Photo via Esther Lin/Strikeforce)

Remember when Jorge Gurgel made the ominous claim that the losers at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine would be out of a job? It’s starting to look like that rule maybe just applied to Jorge Gurgel. (Sorry, bro.) According to reports that have been coming out since the show, a couple of prelim fighters who fell short in their matches will soon be picked up by the UFC.

First up is KJ Noons, who lost to Ryan Couture in a decision so questionable that Dana White wondered if the coin-flip method would be more effective. It was Noons’s fourth loss in his last five outings — dating back to his rematch loss to Nick Diaz in October 2010 — but the UFC is giving the tough lightweight striker a chance to prove himself in the Octagon. As Noons told MMAJunkie yesterday, “They said, ‘Heal up, and as soon as you’re healed up, then start training, and we’ll get you on a card.”

For Noons, a potential move to the UFC would represent a massive improvement to his career, and not just because of the increased visibility:

(Before GSP and Carlos Condit, KJ Noons was by far the biggest pain in Nick Diaz’s ass. Photo via Esther Lin/Strikeforce)

First up is KJ Noons, who lost to Ryan Couture in a decision so questionable that Dana White wondered if the coin-flip method would be more effective. It was Noons’s fourth loss in his last five outings — dating back to his rematch loss to Nick Diaz in October 2010 — but the UFC is giving the tough lightweight striker a chance to prove himself in the Octagon. As Noons told MMAJunkie yesterday, ”They said, ‘Heal up, and as soon as you’re healed up, then start training, and we’ll get you on a card.”

For Noons, a potential move to the UFC would represent a massive improvement to his career, and not just because of the increased visibility:

“My last paycheck was a little bit under $40,000 a year ago. So now I made $40,000 last year. After taxes, and you have to pay your team, now I’ve got $30,000. Now I have to catch up on all my bills before my last fight. So there goes another $5,000 or $10,000. Now I have to live for a whole year off of $20,000? That was the real frustrating thing about Strikeforce. It’s like, ‘OK, you’re going to get a fight. (And then) no, it’s canceled.’ (It was like that) the whole year. The thing about the UFC is they are going to get you three fights a year.”

Next up on the UFC pick-up list is 24-year-old middleweight Anthony Smith, who put in an impressive showing against Roger Gracie before succumbing to a second-round arm-triangle choke. As TheMMACorner reports:

The MMA Corner has since confirmed with the fighter that he is indeed headed to the UFC. Smith stated that UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby came by the locker room following Smith’s fight and told him to get in touch with Shelby’s fellow UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva. Smith expects to have a contract to sign by the end of the week.

Despite a less-than-impressive record of 17-9, Smith has scored victories over Logan Clark, Eric Schambari, and Lumumba Sayers, and he has never gone to decision in 26 professional fights. Like Damarques Johnson and James Irvin before him, Smith hasn’t done his job unless somebody’s unconscious within the first two rounds — and there’s always a place in the UFC for guys like that.

No word yet on the fate of Nandor Guelmino, but you probably shouldn’t get your hopes up.

Update: Kurt Holobaugh — who came in on short notice and lost a unanimous decision to Pat Healy during the “Marquardt vs. Saffiedine” prelims — has also signed a UFC deal, according to an MMAJunkie report.