Alyse Anderson has an atomweight showdown with Victoria Souza set for ONE Championship’s U.S. return on Friday, September 6, for ONE 168: Denver. A win could catapult her back into the title scene. However, that is secondary to the feeling of returning to action after a health scare last year.
Last summer, Anderson was enjoying life in Florida with her father when a sudden pain rippled through her body. She would go to the hospital, in so much pain she did not realize where she was. Doctors would discover a ruptured cyst that required surgery to fix.
“I couldn’t walk. I was crying, screaming at my dad to call 911. Even when we were in the hospital waiting room, I was like, ‘Call 911,’ and he’s like, ‘We’re here already.’ I was just so out of it, in misery. It was the worst pain I’ve ever had,” Anderson described to ONE.
“Lil’ Savage” return to Michigan to heal. However, her body was not responding as she thought it would following the medical emergency. Instead, her appetite was gone and she continually got smaller.
“I just couldn’t keep food down. I was just nauseous 24/7 and throwing up, which is why I got so small. I was not eating at all because I just would get super nauseous. I just didn’t feel right,” the Michigan native remembered.
The physical deterioration also attacked her mental well-being. Anderson struggled to even look at herself as her body weakened. It left her thinking her career as an athlete was over.
“I was chilling with my career. I was so caught up in thinking I was never going to fight again. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror when I would brush my teeth or shower. I didn’t look athletic anymore. I felt so weak. It just took such a toll on me that way because I didn’t see myself anymore when I looked in the mirror. I was just skin and bones, and I didn’t feel strong or empowered or like an athlete,” the atomweight said.
After numerous trips to doctors to find out what was happening, a growth was eventually discovered on Anderson’s liver. Once removed, she finally began to feel like she did before. The ordeal has given Anderson a new perspective on life and what truly matters.
“It was something that was out of my control, and now that I’m on the other side of it, I can look back and feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself,” Anderson remarked.
Coming back to training was a testament to Anderson’s mindset. She still wanted to pursue her martial arts dreams, and the 29-year-old stepped foot back onto the mats even with doubts swirling in her mind. Still, she took a step-by-step approach and focused on just getting better one tiny percent each day.
“When I started training again, I definitely felt I was starting from the bottom. I just kept telling myself if I just show up every day, I will get better. If I just show up every day, it will get better, and eventually, it started to. It was slow at first, but I just continually kept going, and I slowly started to see it was improving.”
When it came time to prepare for competition, Anderson had a cathartic experience. The first hard sparring session brought her to tears, but it wasn’t because of the physical toll it took. It was a realization that she had finally come all the way back and was ready to step back into the Circle once again.
“I remember the first time that I hard sparred and had that feeling when you’re so tired that you can’t breathe at all when the bell is over. Just like your heart is beating in your head. I started crying when I felt that feeling because it’s like, ‘Ohh, I hate feeling like this,’ but I had missed that feeling. I feel this because I put my body through this, because I accomplished what I wanted to in these rounds, and that really, mentally, I feel like it definitely made me appreciate the sport a lot more – and my health a lot more.”
ONE 168: Denver airs live on Friday, September 6, on Prime Video. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Remaining tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
