Briton Liam Mc Cracken will compete for a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in Las Vegas on Tuesday, three years after a near-fatal bus crash in Liverpool. While out running, the 25-year-old stepped into the road and was struck by a bus, which dragged him 18 metres for seven seconds. Passers-by, including a paramedic with life-saving equipment, found him unconscious and bleeding heavily; they likely saved his life before an ambulance arrived.

Mc Cracken suffered four back fractures, two slipped neck discs, three broken ribs, a broken pelvis and nose, a ruptured ACL, a torn meniscus, and multiple other wounds. Doctors initially feared he might need a metal rod in his back, which would have ended his career, but further scans ruled that out. His first thought upon waking was gratitude for being alive and concern for his one-year-old daughter, who began walking days after he lost that ability.

After multiple surgeries and months of rehab, Mc Cracken returned to action nearly two years later, winning via rear-naked choke against Brazil's Jhon Bryan. He now faces Mexican lightweight Silvestre Sanchez for a UFC deal.