Liam McCracken, a 25-year-old MMA fighter from Liverpool, is set to compete for a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in Las Vegas, three years after being hit by a bus and dragged 18 metres (60ft) underneath it. The accident happened while McCracken was out running and stepped into the road without checking for traffic; he suffered severe injuries and doctors initially feared he might never walk or fight again, making his return to top-level competition remarkable.

The crash left McCracken with four fractures in his back, two slipped discs in his neck, three broken ribs, a broken pelvis, a broken nose, a ruptured knee ligament and a torn meniscus, and he needed multiple blood transfusions after bystanders, including a paramedic, came to his aid. He faced a nearly two-year recovery involving several operations, including major knee surgery, before doctors ruled out the need for a metal rod in his back that would have ended his career. Having won five of his six professional fights before the accident, McCracken will now face Mexican lightweight Silvestre Sanchez on Tuesday in his bid for a UFC deal.