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A Liverpool mixed martial artist is believed to be seriously injured after “running in and out of traffic” in Old Swan .

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a man, in his 30s, running amok on East Prescot Road, this afternoon.

It appeared he threw himself against as many as four vehicles, including three single-decker Stagecoach and Arriva buses. All except one were believed to be stationary at the time.

He was eventually restrained by police and taken to hospital. His conditon was this evening described as serious.

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People at the scene said that the man was Terry Etim, 31, who became one of the most famous active Scouse mixed martial artists on the planet when he took part in competitions around the world, including Abu Dhabi, Brazil and Las Vegas.

He counted Everton players among his fans and in 2013 was pictured with the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Tim Howard and Sylvain Distin ahead of an Ultimate Fighting Championship billing at Wembley.

He was a member of the Liverpool based Team Kaobon but is not believed the lightweight fighter has taken part in any competitions since 2014.

The dramatic events in East Prescot Road close to the Navigator pub traffic lights junction began shortly after 2pm.

Eyewitnesses who work in a nearby parade of shops first became aware of a man running in and out of traffic and throwing himself against the windscreens of a number of vehicles, leaving him covered in blood.

Hairdresser Andrea McCullough said: “It was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.

“His friends were running after him and trying to restrain him on the floor but he managed to break free and was running in and around all the cars.

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“He wasn’t trying to harm anybody but himself. He was covered from head to toe in blood.

Unconfirmed reports said he had been travelling in a car with some friends but jumped out of the car, a Ford Focus, and ran towards oncoming traffic.

Barber Alan Miles said he was having lunch when he heard a bang and “screaming and shouting” coming from the direction of East Prescot Road.

He added: “I went out and helped to restrain the man in a nearby car park, but he wrestled his way out from the people that were holding him down.

“He had blood all over him and I got a lot of it on my hands as I tried to hold him down.

“His friends were saying he was a professional cage fighter.”

Charity shop worker Anne Purcell described how an off-duty nurse came into the shop to ask for towels to stem the blood following the incident.

The incident brought traffic around the junction to a standstill for a while and a stretch of East Prescot Road remained cordoned off until 6pm leading to hold-ups in the area.

The buses, along with a Nissan Qashqai, could be seen park up with shattered windscreens - some with blood on them - for much of the afternoon.