TO LIVE AND DIE IN MMA: AN INTERVIEW WITH IAN MCCALL
By: Jack Walsh, FIGHTLAND
"Before becoming an elite mixed martial artist, Ian McCall died. After overdosing on a combination of GHB, Oxycodone, and Xanax, McCall’s heart stopped. He woke up two days later in a hospital, but has since recovered to become one of the top ranked flyweights in the world.
"It seemed that nothing would stop him until two losses to UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson left him in a spiral. A further loss to Joseph Benavidez left him on the brink. The last time I spoke to McCall, he hadn’t won a single fight in the UFC, his marriage was ending, and his old demons were threatening to take over.
"Fast forward a couple years and Ian has endured again, and is now just one fight away from another shot at the title. He just returned to his home in California from his bout in Dublin, Ireland, where he outworked and outclassed perennial top ten Brad Pickett."
