'my Body Shut Down - It Was A Life Or Death Situation'

When Sammy-Jo Luxton thought that getting her car surgery into astatine nan commencement of 2024 was nan worst point that would hap to her that year, it could not person been further from nan truth.

Among nan highs of knocking an force retired wrong 18 seconds and signing a statement pinch nan PFL, she suffered nan nonaccomplishment of some her grandma and father.

The 26-year-old past discovered she needed emergency room for cysts connected her ovaries, which later led to sepsis - a life-threatening guidance to an infection successful nan body, external - pursuing complications pinch nan operation.

The ordeal caused Luxton to contemplate retirement.

But now, having taken immoderate clip to heal pinch her loved ones, she looks backmost connected 2024 arsenic nan making of her characteristic and relishes nan challenges up pinch renewed vigour.

"It's taught maine that I tin travel done anything. It was conscionable maine getting deed and I was opinionated up and past getting deed again and I was opinionated backmost up," Luxton tells BBC Sport.

"I looked astatine it for illustration a conflict – if personification knocks maine down 8 times I'm going to get backmost up nine.

"Now I'm going to bring that into a fight. Nothing tin touch maine mentally aliases physically now because I've been done that."

The Devon-born Luxton took up Thai boxing astir nan property of 10.

After concisely switching to boxing, she later moved to Manchester and into nan world of MMA, successful which she now trains full-time.

After winning nan first 2 fights of her master profession - pinch her astir caller triumph successful March, 2024 - Luxton signed a statement pinch nan PFL.

But her debut conflict successful June ne'er happened.

The concatenation of events which led to nan bout getting cancelled started erstwhile her begetter Adam was rushed to infirmary aft suffering a bosom attack.

With Luxton needing an emergency cognition astatine nan aforesaid time, she ended up successful a infirmary furniture successful nan ward beneath him.

After surgery, she was capable to walk 2 days pinch her begetter earlier he passed distant successful April - 2 months aft her grandmother's death.

"When my dada passed distant I thought I was going to do this PFL tourney past bent up my gloves - I can't spell connected now," recalls Luxton.

"But he would beryllium rolling successful his sedate if I didn't transportation on. He spent hours pursuing maine everywhere, he's prepped my meals, helped maine trim weight - he would person done each of that for nothing.

"I americium going to do it now for his legacy."

When Luxton returned to training, she recovered herself emotion much tired than accustomed but put nan fatigue down to being successful a "tough conflict camp".

Inside 2 weeks, however, Luxton's information had deteriorated and she recovered herself bent complete successful symptom astatine nan gym while cold, sweating and shaking uncontrollably.

Luxton's partner covered her successful blankets earlier taking her to infirmary where, aft discovering she had sepsis, her assemblage somesthesia roseate to 42C successful a "life aliases decease situation".

"My assemblage wholly unopen down, everything was a blur by that point," she says.

"That wholly wiped my twelvemonth retired truthful it was astir trying to build my spot up slow but surely afterwards.

"I took that arsenic spending clip pinch my friends and family and getting myself better, mentally and physically."

Now fresh and healthy, Luxton is preparing to yet make her debut successful nan PFL's yearly European tournament.

In an all-British fight, she faces Scottish flyweight Gemma Auld successful Belfast connected Saturday.

"It's been a agelong clip coming but I can't convey PFL capable for hanging connected to maine and supporting maine done nan difficult times," adds Luxton.

"It will beryllium axenic excitement from commencement to finish. My past 2 fights haven't moreover deed 30 seconds – truthful I'm hoping nan girls successful PFL will springiness maine much of a fight."

Luxton, nicknamed nan 'Ghetto Cinderella', doesn't person to look acold to spot what riches tin beryllium recovered successful PFL Europe.

In 2023, Manchester's Dakota Ditcheva, 26, won nan tournament earlier progressing to nan world bracket past twelvemonth and triumphing to go Britain's first female MMA world champion.

"Me and Dakota grew up together and fought connected nan aforesaid shows," says Luxton.

"Dakota has group nan path. You've seen nan money she tin make, she's group her family up for life now and that's what I want to do - springiness backmost and springiness my family a bully life.

"Hopefully I tin do a Dakota run."