Issue 196

October 2022

When you think of MMA comebacks, they're usually within the confines of a fight itself. A fighter who battles back from adversity to score an unlikely victory. But sometimes, fighters make a remarkable career renaissance as they return from injury or poor form to reach notable heights once again. Then there's John Hathaway. Simon Head looks at "The Hitman's" incredible return to the sport at Oktagon 36.

Once considered one of the UK’s best hopes for UFC gold, John “The Hitman” Hathaway’s promising career was halted abruptly as a crippling illness put him on the shelf for eight long years.

But now, after battling ulcerative colitis – and undergoing a brutal schedule of invasive surgeries – Hathaway is back, and the Englishman made his professional MMA return at Oktagon 36 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Hathaway appeared to be on the fast track to the top of the sport, with the fresh-faced young welterweight scoring notable victories early in his UFC career, including wins over the likes of Rick Story and Diego Sanchez.

But, after compiling a career record of 17-1 (7-1 under the UFC banner), he was brutally knocked out by a spinning elbow from South Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim in Macau.

It was a major blow to Hathaway’s momentum, but in the aftermath of that loss, it transpired that Hathaway was dealing with much more than just a knockout defeat.

Hathaway was suffering with ulcerative colitis, a condition that saw him go under the knife on three separate occasions, including surgery to remove parts of his intestine.

At that point, thoughts of a return to the cage seemed a million miles away. But Hathaway kept his hopes alive and, after tireless hours in the gym at London Shootfighters he rebuilt his body, and his strength, back to pro-fighter levels. And, at Oktagon 36, he made the walk to the cage once again, where a huge crowd at Festhalle in Frankfurt witnessed Hathaway's first fight since that loss to Kim in 2014.

After being away for so long, and after everything he’s been through, simply returning to competitive action would be considered by most as a major achievement. But Hathaway wasn't content simply to return. He came back to win, and he did just that.

Hathaway faced Brazil’s Andre Ricardo, and completely dominated his opponent throughout the matchup to earn a unanimous decision from the three judges, with scores of 30-26, 30-24, 30-26.

Hathaway showcased his smothering wrestling game to control Ricardo throughout the bout as he looked to move himself into position to snatch a submission.

However, he found Ricardo to be a tricky prospect to deal with, as the Brazilian stayed calm and composed under duress and did well to ensure the returning Briton was unable to lock up a fight-ending technique, though Hathaway came very close to scoring a TKO in the closing seconds of the second round with heavy-duty ground and pound that left his opponent with a broken nose and a battered face.

Hathaway dished out more of the same in the final round as he dominated his opponent from bell to bell in an outstanding return performance that saw him land 189 punches, of which 116 were significant.

After improving his record to 18-2, Hathaway stated his intention to return to the cage “as soon as possible” as he looks to reignite his MMA career. But, wherever his career takes him from here, his remarkable return to competitive, high-level MMA will stand the test of time as one of the most incredible comebacks in the sport's history.