photo via Scott Peterson of mmaweekly

By Brian Hemminger

To some, Corey Hill’s decision victory over Jason Trzewieczynski at the Raging Wolf VI: Mayhem in the Mist event held in Niagara, New York last Saturday was just a minor speck in the vast world of MMA news.  To me, though, it showed the tremendous endurance of the human spirit.

Hill was a contestant on season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter, and at 6′4″, was a very impressive physical specimen.  His unnatural height for the weight class had trainers and bloggers raving about his potential in the 155 lb lightweight division.  That all changed on a chilly night December 10th of 2008 at the UFC: Fight for the Troops.  Hill threw a leg kick at his opponent Dale Hartt and when Hartt checked the kick, Hill’s shin snapped in half.  I can still remember UFC announcer Joe Rogan’s screams for the fight to be stopped right after it happened.

I’ll save you your lunch by not reprinting the image of the actual injury, which may go down as the most gruesome in UFC history.  The break was so bad that after emergency surgery, Hill’s leg was only being held in place by a rod at the shin and pins at the ankle and the knee.  Doctors told Hill he may never even walk again, whether alone fight, but there he was, just thirteen months later, back in the cage doing what he does best.

I’m sure it wasn’t easy, and according to yahoo MMA analyst Kevin Iole, it most certainly was not, but the fact that Hill recovered both physically and mentally and got back on that horse is a true inspiration to us all.