Tim Credeur Talks Cancer Scare

Tim Credeur

Tim Credeur has been out of action since September 2009.

After coming out on the wrong side of an entertaining 15 minute battle with Nate Quarry at Fight Night 19, the former Ultimate Fighter contestant was forced to withdraw from a pair of bouts in 2010 for two very different reasons.

The first fight was a meeting with Mike Massenzio at Fight Night 20, a bout scuttled by Forrest Griffin according to the Louisiana native.

“I was training with Forrest and he almost tore my foot off. Not with a leg lock, just training with Forrest. It’s like training with a wildebeest; if you’re in the way, things on your body get destroyed. We were training one day and I almost ripped my toe off, and it was pretty close to my fight, so I had to cancel my fight.”

Four months later, the 33-year-old was slated to face fellow TUF alum Tom Lawlor at UFC 113 in Montreal, the first time Credeur would compete “on a UFC with numbers” as he called it. He had to pull out of that bout as well, but this time it wasn’t because of Griffin or a banged up toe.

This is Credeur’s story.

Three or four weeks prior to facing Lawlor, Credeur underwent a brain scan.

“I don’t know if my brain scan was up or they needed me to take one because I was fighting in Canada or something like that. Two or three days later, the doctor calls and says, `You’ve gotta come to my office.’ When I asked why, he said, `I’ll tell you when you get here;’ needless to say, that was a little nerve-wracking.

“So I rushed over and they told me that they found an anomaly in my brain, and they did not know what it was.”

In shock at the alarming news, Credeur asked for further clarification, and was told by his doctor that the mass was deep inside his brain and could be very dangerous.

His doctor could not distinguish what they were looking at, unsure whether the “anomaly” as they called it was a broken blood vessel, a tumor or worse. The one thing they could be sure of was that Credeur was 100-percent not cleared to fight.

“They said the next step was to try and figure it out, get some answers, but it doesn’t look good,” recalled Credeur, who was convinced his career was over. Chief among his concerns as he walked from the doctor’s office was how he would tell his wife, Mamie, especially considering the pair were trying to get pregnant for the first time.

“I was supposed to fight, now I can’t fight and I’m not making any money. I don’t know if you know this, but UFC fighters at my level, they don’t make that much money. We’re not making millions; there’s no doubt about it. The fight was something I needed for my life.

“As I’m walking to my car, all these things are going through me head. Am I going to die? I might have a brain tumor. How do I tell my wife? So as I’m getting in my car, my wife calls me.

“She asked me what I was doing, and I said nothing; I didn’t want to tell her. She says, `Well I have something to tell you. Are you sitting down?’ and I said, `Am I sitting down? Wait ’til you hear what I have to tell you; you better be laying down.”

Mamie told her husband they were pregnant. Tim didn’t tell his wife about the anomaly.

“That happened within about 20 minutes of finding out I might have brain cancer or a brain tumor or whatever. So I shelved my problems and I told her how excited I was because of course I was excited, but I remember sitting in my car thinking `Who has this kind of hour?’ This is serious; very shocking, very frustrating, very bewildering situation to be in.”

The Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt says he compartmentalized his situation to focus on the needs and well-being of his pregnant wife. While he kept things calm with her, internally, Credeur was freaked out and started looking for other options.

Thoughts of quitting the sport and finding “a real job” repeatedly crossed his mind.

Instead, he poured himself into building Gladiators Academy, his Lafeyette, Louisiana school where he spent countless hours teaching kids and training fighters, including UFC featherweight contender Dustin Poirier.

Months passed and he underwent multiple test and numerous scans, each costing roughly $2500; “devastating” was the word Credeur used to describe the mounting financial burden.

“Not a lot of people are giving insurance to cage fighters. I have insurance, but it doesn’t cover what I do in my sport. Going in and getting a brain scan isn’t covered, plus I’m out of work; it’s very difficult.”

Two weeks before his wife was set to give birth, Credeur once again returned to the doctors.

“We found out that the mass, the anomaly in my brain was just a birthmark; sort of like a freckle, and definitely not anything to really worry myself about. We talked to many different doctors and they all had the same conclusion: you don’t have anything to really worry about.”

The news was a tremendous relief, and the numerous apologies from the doctors a true comfort. Two weeks later, Audrey Jean entered the world, changing Credeur’s perspective on the world all over again.

Some in this situation would be filled with anger and frustration; the need for answers after months of uncertainty and being forced to confront their own mortality too difficult and painful to accept “it’s not really anything to worry about” as the final answer.

Not Credeur.

The proud new father looks at his ordeal as a blessing.

“I thank God that my students, my love for jiu jitsu carried us; it still is today and it will always be what supports our family. I have a new passion for teaching now, for contributing to the lives of others.

“God gives us what we can handle. I’m a Christian and I believe God gives us tests in our lives and we have to find a way to be the person the situation needs us to be [in order] to navigate that situation successfully.

“Looking back, I’m happy it happened, and I’m happy that I have what I have now, and that I went through what I went through. It makes the future that much brighter.”

Part of that bright future is his gym.

The numerous hours Credeur spent working at his school is currently paying dividends. Not only has the UFC middleweight discovered a passion for teaching, but Gladiators Academy has become successful, allowing Credeur to hire more instructors and once again focus on his career inside the Octagon.

On June 4, Credeur will face Ed “Short Fuse” Herman at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale, and he can’t wait to get back in the cage.

“I spent the last two years developing into a new fighter. I’m very excited to be a part of the UFC again, and thankful to the UFC for holding my place. They didn’t have to hold my place for anything; I’m not a world-beater. I’m not Anderson Silva. I’m not any of these stars, and the UFC was gracious enough to hold my place [this whole time.]

“I’m so excited to be able to do what I love, to be able to compete again, able to show people never give up; only the strong survive. Not only the talented, not only the athletic – anybody can be strong; strong of spirit, strong of mind, strong of body, anybody can be strong, and if you stick in there, you will survive, and you will one day be able to live your dreams.”

Credeur should know: he survived a nightmare to now be living his dreams every day.