Aussie battler Shannon Ross wins a UFC contract after getting into the octagon with a burst appendix
>
Aussie battler who got a standing ovation from Dana White despite getting knocked out in tryout fight wins a UFC contract after getting into the octagon with a burst appendix
- Aussie MMA fighter who lost bout before being hospitalised wins UFC contract
- Shannon Ross has gone from mechanic to UFC star after impressing Dana White
- Needed emergency surgery shortly after getting knocked out in Las Vegas
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Australian mechanic Shannon Ross has won a dream contract with the UFC, despite getting knocked out and rushed into emergency surgery with a burst appendix shortly after impressing Dana White in the octagon.
The 33-year-old father of four had flown into Las Vegas last week to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series against Brazilian Vinicius Salvador.
Ross was hoping a win would see him follow in the footsteps of fellow Aussies Jimmy Crute and Jack Della Maddalena and earn his UFC ticket.
Things didn’t go to plan for the flyweight, who lost the dramatic bout by knockout – but he put on an epic show and won the respect of the crowd and a rare standing ovation from the UFC boss.
Ross (right) was lucky to make it into the octagon while suffering from acute appendicitis that left him needing emergency surgery. When Dana White heard about his courage to go through with the bout, he gave him a contract – despite the knockout loss
The Aussie father of four is pictured recovering from the emergency surgery in a Las Vegas hospital after his career-making fight
What Ross didn’t know is that he was suffering from acute appendicitis the whole time – with the life-threatening seeing him rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
‘I started feeling something happening about a week out [from the fight],’ Ross told the Daily Telegraph. ‘But I thought it was just being hungry. Just a usual fight week weight cut.
‘But then on the day of the fight, during a morning warm up at the hotel, my training partner Ben Nguyen hopped on my back and put a body triangle on my right side.
‘And when he squeezed it on, I screamed … told him to let it go.
‘Initially, I thought I’d popped a rib.
‘I was thinking ‘oh man, it’s only hours out from the biggest fight of my life and I’ve done a rib’.
‘But then when I hopped up, it was fine. The pain went away.’
Dana White doesn’t often give out standing ovations – but the Aussie well and truly earned his
The scars from Ross’s surgery make for gruesome viewing – and he managed to make it almost all the way through two rounds despite the incredible pain
Things took a turn for the worse on the morning after the fight, with Ross waking up shaking and vomiting. The fighter’s team rushed him to a Las Vegas hospital where he went into emergency surgery to remove his appendix.
‘When they removed the appendix there was the rupture and lots of puss,’ said Ross. ‘So I had to stay in hospital on an antibiotic drip.’
When UFC president Dana White and matchmaker Mick Maynard heard about the Aussie battling acute appendicitis – and putting on such a great performance in the Octagon – the contract came through.
In a post to social media, Ross expressed his excitement at the prospect of competing with the best MMA fighters on the planet.
‘All I can say is I gave it absolutely everything I had to get here and make this happen,’ he said.
‘So you can now say hi to Australia’s newest UFC flyweight.’