McCracken Fights For UFC Contract After Near-Fatal Bus Crash

Liam McCracken steps into the Octagon tonight at UFC Contender Series with a shot at a contract, three years after a bus dragged him 60 feet along a Liverpool road and left him unconscious with 20 broken bones.

The 25-year-old English lightweight was out for a run near his home in September 2023 when he crossed the street with headphones on full volume, according to MMA Junkie. He never heard the horn. The impact trapped him beneath the vehicle while the engine burned his body, and witnesses initially thought he was dead. A paramedic and bystanders worked to save him as he lost enough blood to require multiple transfusions.

McCracken's Road From ICU To Contender Series

The complete injury list included four spinal fractures, multiple broken ribs, a broken pelvis and nose, two slipped discs in his neck, severe knee damage and deep wounds requiring skin grafts, per MMA Junkie. Doctors warned he might need a metal rod in his back — a procedure that would have ended his fighting career — and faced the possibility of never walking normally again. "I shouldn't be walking. I shouldn't be talking," he told MMA Junkie. "Literally, I should be dead for what happened."

After multiple surgeries and nearly two years of rehab, McCracken returned in September 2025 with a first-round rear-naked choke finish of Jhon Bryan. He has since added two more stoppage wins, pushing his record to 8-1 with a perfect finishing rate. He told BBC Sport that doctors could not immediately shut off the bus ignition because lowering the suspension risked crushing him. "The story up and down and if things along the way went a little different, I wouldn't be back fighting," he said.

McCracken faces Silvestre Sanchez (9-1) tonight at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The Contender Series card begins at 7 p.m. ET on Paramount+.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Contender Series miracle: Liam McCracken fights for UFC contract three years after horrific bus accident