“The Ultimate” Fighter” season one star Mike Swick announced earlier this year that he was diagnosed with stage four leukemia, and the UFC veteran recently shared an update.
On February 16, “Quick” took to Instagram to reveal he had already been fighting cancer for five weeks in what he called “the toughest and most aggressive battle I have ever had.” Swick said he had cancer for months without knowing it, and that with the pairing of chemotherapy and a plant-based diet, he reduced the swelling of “15+” lymph nodes in his neck, writing: “Round 1 went to me for sure!”
On May 23, the 42-year-old retired fighter shared via Instagram where he’s at for “round 2.” And to the delight of fight fans, Swick sounds very optimistic and is prepared to “crush it.”
Swick’s Test Results Have Shown ‘Amazing Progress,’ Says It’s ‘Beatable’
Sharing a photo of himself hooked up to fluids, Swick wrote: “The simulation has me back at my favorite Cancer Hotel! Lol
“4 months straight of healthy plant based diet, except ocean salmon. So much salmon that I think it’s starting to help my free-diving!
“So yea, this kinda sucks. Stage 4 Leukemia is never a great thing to hear at 42yo, but I took it in stride and since it’s beatable by many people, I am gonna crush it!
“Just a week this treatment and one more week next month and we will see the update again. All my recent tests showed amazing progress since my first treatment so I may not even be Stage 4 anymore. I literally have no symptoms and barely any cancer left already and if the first session cleared out my bone marrow, I will be on the winning lap. Since that sounds the best and since 2nd place really sucks in Cancer, I am feeling good, strong, appreciative, positive and ready to just get back to work and diving…
“Thank you all for the support and messages! Glad I am helping some of you and remember this is commonly beatable at almost every stage so don’t stress out! Or eat red meat and sugar!
“LFG round 2!”
See his Instagram post below:
Swick Fought in the UFC for Over a Decade After Appearing on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’
Swick is known by longtime mixed martial arts fans for his stint on the first-ever season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” as well as his 10-year run in the promotion. Swick competed as a light heavyweight on the show, which aired in early 2005.
A part of Randy Couture’s team, Swick fought once, losing to Stephan Bonnar via first-round submission.
During the season finale in April 2005, Swick dropped back down to 185 pounds and starched Alex Schoenauer in 20 seconds via KO. Earning a UFC contract, Swick followed up his performance with a 22-second demolition of Gideon Ray.
After that, Swick dropped his “Kid Lion” nickname for the more appropriate “Quick” moniker. Swick won his first five fights in the UFC’s middleweight division before losing a unanimous decision to Yushin Okami at UFC 69 in April 2007.
The defeat prompted a division change for Quick, who moved down to welterweight. The combatant fought the rest of his UFC career as a 170 pounder, going 5-4 before retiring from the sport in 2015.
All in all, Swick has a professional record of 15-6 with eight wins via KO/TKO and three by submission. Swick is the founder of the American Kickboxing Academy’s Thailand branch, which is located in Phuket where he lives and coaches.
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UFC Veteran Provides Major Update on Stage 4 Cancer Battle