Two of Australia’s bravest sportsmen make history with amputee cage fight in Cairns

Buck Cooper and Glenn Dickson have both lost limbs, but it hasn’t stopped them from stepping up to compete in one of the toughest sports in the world over the weekend.

Both men, who each have survived brutal incidents that have claimed their legs, took part in a caged Muay Thai fight on Saturday night at the Fred Moule Exhibition Centre in Cairns.

Despite having just the use of one arm, Cooper was awarded victory on the night. 

Dickson, from far North Queensland, died six times and was left an amputee after being attacked by a shark while he was spearfishing in 2017.

Despite having just the use of one arm, Cooper was awarded victory afterwards

‘I jumped in the water, saw this fish and hit it with the spear but it wasn’t what is known as a ‘kill shot’ instead it was just a bit further back from that,’ Dickson told News Corp.

‘So the fish was still flapping around and I was thinking I have to get to the surface quickly.

‘So I started swimming up and pulling the fish towards me with the rope attached to the spear.

‘I got the fish and grabbed my knife out of my anklet and just as I hit the fish with the knife, that was when I felt like I just got hit by a bus.’

Dickson’s struggle with the fish had attracted a 3.5m bull shark, an ill-tempered breed regarded as more dangerous and aggressive than a great white shark.

With limited visibility and blood in the water, the predator simply attacked without prejudice, latching onto Dickson’s exposed leg.

Bleeding out, Dickson tried to call for help but could only muster a meek whisper. His friends said it sounded like a seagull, not a man screaming for lifesaving assistance.

They dragged him back onto the boat, but the worst was yet to come – Dickson went into cardiac arrest.

Dickson was left an amputee after being attacked by a shark while he was spearfishing in 2017

Buck ‘Buck Wild The Terminator’ Cooper (pictured), had a brutal dirt bike accident that left him begging for police to shoot him to put him out of his pain

‘That was when I died for the first time, they told me I died a total of six times, four in the boat and twice in the helicopter,’ he said.

The road to recovery has been long, but Dickson is back ready to compete in a sport he trained in before the brutal attack.

New South Wales fighter Buck ‘Buck Wild The Terminator’ Cooper has an equally inspiring story of survival after a dirt bike accident that had him begging to be put out of his misery.

‘I remember I froze for a bit then looked down and my leg was completely torn off,’ Cooper said.

‘I started screaming. I had my guts hanging out, pelvis was shattered, parts of me that were meant to be inside of me weren’t.

‘My testicles were hanging out, luckily I still have them though.’