MMA fighters with prosthetic legs compete in Australia's first cage fight between amputees

When Dollar Cooper and Glenn Dickson every misplaced a leg in akin deadly injuries on the past of 25, they by no means imagined they’d journey directly to construct Australian carrying historical past.

However having survived the extreme battle in their lives, it used to be observable the rest used to be conceivable.

Next their injuries, the educated combined martial arts (MMA) warring parties had been aspiring to construct their debut in one of the vital brutal sports activities on this planet.

It used to be discovering an opponent prepared to battle an amputee that used to be proving to be the most important problem.

Glenn Dickson and Dollar Cooper at weigh-in moment forward of the battle in Cairns.(Provided: Explosive Combat Promotions)

In March this future, Queensland shark assault survivor Glenn Dickson ramped up his seek to after all to satisfy his fit.

“I looked on Instagram and looked up ‘amputee fighter’ and Buck came up,” Dickson stated.

Dickson returned to the hoop this future, seven years later surviving a shark assault occasion spearfishing.(ABC A ways North: Sharnie Kim)

“I looked at his weight class, and the way he moved and everything and then I messaged him and said, ‘Hey, do you want do you want to fight?'”

Pristine South Wales street strike survivor Dollar Cooper stated he used to be not sure at the beginning, however figured Dickson had promotional fighter contacts.

Dollar Cooper misplaced his left leg and the worth of his left arm in a head-on motorcycle strike.(ABC Illawarra: Romy Gilbert)

“I really wanted a hard challenge. I saw some videos of him, and I thought, ‘This is gonna be good,'” he stated.

“Once it was locked in, I was stoked. I had been looking for a fight.”

This weekend Dollar and Glenn after all met after they confronted off within the nation’s first ever caged Muay Thai battle between amputees, on the Fred Moule Exhibition Centre in Cairns.

The pair of athletes are hopeful the publicity will permit others with limb variations to battle for his or her desires.

Two fighters in action. Each has a prosthetic leg. — Dickson and Cooper battle it out.(Provided: Explosive Combat Promotions)

Survivors construct just right warring parties

Dickson used to be 25 years worn and semi-professional in Muay Thai when he used to be attacked by means of a bull shark occasion spearfishing off Hinchinbrook Island.

“I remember my calf being ripped off … and seeing the shark and it whip-tailing away,” he stated.

Dickson in sanatorium later being attacked by means of a shark.(Provided: Glenn Dickson)

Dickson’s middle restrained six occasions on methods to the sanatorium, and when he aroused from sleep from a hibernation a occasion after his proper leg were amputated.

“The white light was over me and death was upon me,” he stated.

“And it was a lot easier at the time to go to sleep.

“However I selected to hold on on account of my daughter.”

Now 32, Dickson said surviving the attack had made him who he was today and shown him what he was capable of.

He stated fix used to be lengthy and tough however that coaching in combating stored him going.

“The prosthetic harm. It used to be an alien-like factor to position on,” he stated.

“However I simply couldn’t backup myself, each and every physio consultation changed into a coaching consultation, and I simply needed to retain doing one thing.”

Dollar says he’s thankful for the whole lot that’s came about because it has made him the positive individual he’s these days.(Provided: Dollar Cooper)

Ulladulla fighter Buck Cooper was 25 years old when he lost his left leg, the use of his left arm and suffered multiple other serious injuries in a head-on collision on a motorbike 11 years ago.

Cooper remained in extensive support in sanatorium for 2 months.

“I in my view imagine I used to be given the selection to are living or no longer and my youngsters, I selected them needless to say,” Cooper stated.

Cooper is coaching two times a moment, each and every moment, with schoolteacher Ian “EO” Harding at Ulladulla at the NSW south coast.(ABC Illawarra: Romy Gilbert)

When he was in hospital he wrote a list of things he hoped to achieve after the accident.

“I were given it laminated, it says ‘compete in MMA.'”

Cooper said he hoped his disability representation within the sport would allow him to be a role model for others.

“I’m excited for children to look this, see the leg and really feel impressed.”

Dickson owns and runs his personal kickboxing health centre, Survivor Condition, at Project Seashore in Queensland.(ABC A ways North Queensland: Sharnie Kim )

Explosive Fight Promotions organiser Chris Bowtell said his company endeavoured to give all fighters as much exposure as possible to continue their career regardless of their circumstances.

“They deserved to battle once more and we’re proud to have made this occur,” Mr Bowtell stated.

Regardless of having the worth of only one arm and going up in opposition to a person with two, Cooper claimed the Explosive Cage Combat win in Cairns on June 1.