‘The Worst Pain I’ve Ever Had’ – Alyse Anderson Opens Up About Health Scare That Nearly Ended Her MMA Career
Just several short months ago, Alyse “Lil’ Savage” Anderson thought her time as an elite mixed martial artist was over.
The 29-year-old is now preparing to battle Brazilian scrapper Victoria “Vick” Souza in an atomweight MMA contest on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver. And given what she’s been through, merely stepping into the Circle at Ball Arena represents a significant victory.
Last summer, Anderson was enjoying a day of fishing with her father near her home in Coconut Creek, Florida, when she felt an immense pain in her pelvis that she describes as “10 out of 10.”
The American recently opened up to onefc.com about the situation:
“I couldn’t walk. I was crying, screaming at my dad to call 911. Even when we were in the hospital waiting room, I was like, ‘Call 911,’ and he’s like, ‘We’re here already.’ I was just so out of it, in misery. It was the worst pain I’ve ever had.”
Working as fast as they could, doctors found a ruptured cyst that was causing internal bleeding, and for the next 10 hours, surgeons worked to remove it.
Initially, Anderson felt relieved that the incident was behind her. However, when she returned home to her native Michigan to rest and recover, her health only seemed to deteriorate.
When she’s in peak physical condition, “Lil’ Savage” is muscled and athletic. But at that time, her weight dipped dangerously low – below 100 pounds – and she lost all of her energy:
“I just couldn’t keep food down. I was just nauseous 24/7 and throwing up, which is why I got so small. I was not eating at all because I just would get super nauseous. I just didn’t feel right.”
Desperate to get her life back, Anderson spoke to as many doctors as she could, many of whom said that her symptoms were typical and she needed to wait them out.
She can now reflect on those dark times when it appeared she might never compete again:
“I was chilling with my career. I was so caught up in thinking I was never going to fight again. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror when I would brush my teeth or shower. I didn’t look athletic anymore. I felt so weak.
“It just took such a toll on me that way because I didn’t see myself anymore when I looked in the mirror. I was just skin and bones, and I didn’t feel strong or empowered or like an athlete.”
Eventually, doctors found a potentially cancerous growth on Anderson’s liver, which they believed to be the cause of her illness.
Fortunately, it wasn’t cancer, and the growth was removed, finally allowing Anderson to properly recover. The whole ordeal, she says, was harrowing:
“It was something that was out of my control, and now that I’m on the other side of it, I can look back and feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself.”
Alyse Anderson’s Tough Return To Training
Getting back to full health was just one step in Alyse Anderson’s journey to regain her life as a fighter. The next step was a return to training.
This past January, she started at her new gym, the renowned Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. After spending months on the sidelines, nothing came easy:
“When I started training again, I definitely felt I was starting from the bottom. I just kept telling myself if I just show up every day, I will get better. If I just show up every day, it will get better, and eventually, it started to.
“It was slow at first, but I just continually kept going, and I slowly started to see it was improving.”
During those first few days back at training, Anderson pushed her body to the limit.
While she felt sluggish and out of shape, she was happy to feel exhausted – to feel like she finally had her body back:
“I remember the first time that I hard sparred and had that feeling when you’re so tired that you can’t breathe at all when the bell is over. Just like your heart is beating in your head. I started crying when I felt that feeling because it’s like, ‘Ohh, I hate feeling like this,’ but I had missed that feeling.
“I feel this because I put my body through this, because I accomplished what I wanted to in these rounds, and that really, mentally, I feel like it definitely made me appreciate the sport a lot more – and my health a lot more.”
