MMA athlete Jamie Stephenson will return to the octagon for the first time in over three years - after a battle with cancer and a snapped ACL.

The Bishop Auckland fighter last competed in May 2014 and it was around this time he started having breathing problems.

But what he first thought was asthma turned out to be far more serious.

“I seemed more out of breath and I was wheezing when I was breathing,” he explained. “I self-diagnosed myself with asthma.

“I went to see my doctor in the December and was given some breathing tests and immediately she knew there was something wrong.

“She sent me for an x-ray and it came back with a large mass in my chest, 22cm in size!”

In February 2015, Stephenson was diagnosed with Stage 2b Hogskins Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

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“With being so fit i had no symptoms whatsoever apart from my breathing which was only caused by the tumour growing into my windpipe,” he added.

“I started intense chemotherapy straight away. I was on chemo solid for seven months. It was rough, from vomiting, to briefly losing the use of my legs due, to nerve damage, to sometimes thinking I might die.”

After completing his treatment, Jamie was sent for tests which revealed the tumour had shrunk dramatically and he was given the all clear in September 2015.

(Image: Angy Ellis Photography)

And the 29-year-old explained how remaining positive throughout the treatment helped him cope.

“It was the best phone call ever, I still remember the day now,” he said.

“Being told you have cancer is out of anyone’s reach. There’s nothing anyone can do but be positive, do things that make you happy and put up the good fight. I am a big believer in positive mental attitude, and with this, and positive people by your side, you can conquer anything.”

After being given the all clear, Stephenson had a further setback after needing surgery on his ACL.

“I wanted to get back into training straight away but I had to have ACL surgery as soon as I finished my chemotherapy,” he said.

“So me getting back into training really started with my ACL rehab and then was eventually built up to full MMA.”

Stephenson will make his return on September 2 at North East promotion Made4thecage’s 25th instalment, Legacy, an opportunity which he is relishing.

“I am just so happy to be able to compete again and put my new self to the test,” he said. “Being harsh, but i have never been fully happy with any of my previous fights.

“I believe the old me didn’t have any fear of fighting. But I was so competitive, I had a fear of losing.

“My new outlook on life shows me there is so much more to life than simple things like this. Going through what I have been through, it will take more than a man with two arms and two legs at the other side of a cage to beat me!

Tickets will be available for Made4thecage 25: Legacy soon and all money Jamie makes from this, or any future fights will be donated to local cancer charities.

Words from Jake Smith