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“I shouldn’t be walking. I shouldn’t be talking.” Contender Series miracle: Liam McCracken fights for UFC contract three years after horrific bus accident Before Liam McCracken steps inside the Octagon tonight (Tues., Sept. 1, 2026) to compete for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract on Week 4 of Contender Series inside Meta Apex, it is worth knowing that the 25-year-old English prospect is lucky to be alive. In Sept. 2023, McCracken was out for a run near his home in Liverpool, England, when he crossed the road with his headphones playing at full volume. He never heard the bus driver sounding the horn. Then BOOM … The bus slammed into McCracken and dragged him approximately 60 feet (or 18 meters) along the road before finally coming to a stop (watch here). Witnesses found him unconscious behind the bus and initially believed he was dead. “Literally, I should be dead for what happened,” McCracken told MMA Junkie. “I shouldn’t be walking. I shouldn’t be talking.” McCracken was trapped beneath the vehicle while its engine burned his body. The driver could not immediately shut off the ignition because doing so could have lowered the bus’ suspension and crushed him. A pedestrian eventually helped guide the bus away from McCracken, while several bystanders — including a paramedic carrying medical equipment — rushed to save his life. McCracken was losing so much blood that he required multiple transfusions. The complete list of injuries was absolutely horrific. McCracken suffered four fractures in his spine, multiple broken ribs, a broken pelvis and nose, two slipped discs in his neck, severe knee damage and numerous deep wounds. According to MMA Junkie, he suffered approximately 20 broken bones and required several operations and extensive skin grafting. Doctors initially feared McCracken might require a metal rod in his back, which likely would have ended his fighting career. He also faced the possibility that he might never walk normally again.]ry up and down and if things along the way went a little different, I wouldn’t be back fighting,” McCracken told BBC Sport. Following multiple surgeries and nearly two years of rehabilitation, McCracken completed his unbelievable comeback in Sept. 2025, submitting Jhon Bryan via first-round rear-naked choke. He has since scored two more stoppage victories, improving his professional record to 8-1 with a perfect 100-percent finishing rate. Tonight, McCracken faces Mexico’s Silvestre Sanchez (9-1) in a Lightweight matchup on Week 4 of Contender Series inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card begins at 7 p.m. ET on Paramount+. Three years ago, McCracken was fighting to stay alive beneath a bus. Tonight, he competes for a UFC contract. MMA Mania Video: Watch Contender Series' Liam McCracken Get Hit By A Bus (Seriously) “In Sept. 2023, McCracken was out for a run near his home in Liverpool, England, when he crossed the road with his headphones playing at full volume. He never heard the bus driver sounding the horn. Then BOOM … The bus slammed into McCracken and dragged him approximately 60 feet (or 18 meters) along the road before finally coming to a stop. Witnesses found him unconscious behind the bus and initially believed he was dead.” ***** Read the miraculous survival story here and more on McCracken’s Contender Series outcome here.