Cornwall man pursues MMA passion after life-changing transplant

Three years ago Charlie Dugdale was fighting for his life as he battled a rare blood disorder.

After receiving a life-changing bone marrow transplant, he has turned his fighting spirit to the boxing ring.

Dugdale, 20, from Liskeard, Cornwall, has aplastic anaemia – a condition where the bone marrow and stem cells do not produce enough blood cells.

In the race to find a bone marrow donor, his family organised a mass swab in 2022 to find a suitable match.

But it was the charity Anthony Nolan which connected him with a 29-year-old man from Germany for the transplant, giving him a second chance at life.

Since the operation, he has pursued his passion of mixed martial arts (MMA).

He won his debut amateur fight at the Meltdown Fighting Championships in Bristol in September and recently met his hero Tyson Fury.

Having only just started training in February, he said MMA was “everything” to him.

“My coaches and friends convinced me to perform my first fight, just go all out and have my MFA fight,” Dugdale said.

“Went up there, executed it, got the second round knockout.

“I think I’m going to stick to MMA now because it’s everything.”

Through the Rays of Sunshine children’s charity Dugdale recently visited Fury at the boxer’s Morecambe gym.

“It was a bit mind-blowing when I met him,” he said.

“I’ve seen him on TV. I’ve seen him all my life. We jumped straight on the pads, I was with him for about 45 minutes. It was good, really good.

“His words were ‘kid can box’ and he was impressed with my skills.”

Rays of Sunshine chief executive Amy Chambers said Dugdale had shown “remarkable courage and determination in getting back into the boxing ring after his diagnosis and treatment”.

“To see his wish to meet his hero come true has been incredibly special,” she said.

“Our heartfelt thanks go to Tyson and his team for creating a day that Charlie will never forget.

“Moments like this fuel his motivation and inspire a bright future filled with possibility.”

Dugdale said he would keep training but he was still mindful of his recovery.

“That’s just my debut fight, I have to be careful of my health. I’ve still got a few things I need to sort out and next year I’m going to get the ball rolling and have a few more fights,” he said.

“I just need to be careful and not rush into it and make myself ill again.”

As he continues his recovery, Dugdale said he hoped to meet his German donor when he and his family take a holiday in the UK next year.

His mother Danielle said on the second anniversary of his transplant her son had “reached out to his donor and sent a letter saying, ‘Thank you for saving my life’.”

“[But] before we had the chance his donor had reached out to us,” she added.

“I never wanted to hug a man I don’t know more.”