Court McGee
Fighting in the Octagon seems less daunting when you’ve already stared death in the face. McGee’s journey into drug addiction began when he started abusing painkillers he’d been prescribed after undergoing several surgeries during his high school years. He soon became addicted to snorting oxycontin. He progressed to Xanax, cocaine, and methamphetamine in the two years that followed.
Things got even worse when one night he took heroin for the first time. Just a few weeks later in September of 2005, he overdosed and was pronounced clinically dead after his heartbeat stopped for eight minutes. After spending over 30 days in recovery, McGee continued to battle addiction He relapsed several times in the months that followed before finally achieving sobriety due to the guilt he felt from letting his family down. The following year, McGee would make his debut as a professional MMA fighter. In 2010, he won The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 to secure a spot in the UFC where he remains to this day.
