Hong Kong-based UFC referee who holds black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu knocks out toughest opponent ever: cancer
Briton Thomas Fan tapped into mental toughness from years of training while battling disease, as community worldwide came together for fight of his life
When it comes to life-threatening combat, Hong Kong-based Thomas Fan Wai-kong, a referee for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has seen it all, from smashed faces to broken limbs.
Fan, 46, who has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), can hold his own in the ring as well. But in 2016, the seasoned fighter found he would need the help of his friends and family to take on his meanest opponent yet: cancer.
“It started as a lump on my neck,” the British national recalls. “It didn’t hurt. I went to the doctor, who said it would probably go away.” But the lump grew, and after several weeks, Fan found himself at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital in Happy Valley to have the growth removed.
The procedure was a success and he thought his ordeal was over. But he was next diagnosed with stage 2 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a form of cancer that attacks the white blood cells.
“I thought, ‘this could be it’,” Fan says. “I thought about my kids and my wife. Could they manage without me? Then another wave of dread crashed over me.”
At that moment, for his family, he decided he had to commit to the fight of his life.