Ultra MMA charity fight night 🥊🌹

Join me at Ultra MMA in Sheffield and support a great cause!

Hi, I'm Corey Hodkin. By day, I'm a Biomedical Science Assistant at the NHS, and outside of work you'll usually find me running around after my crazy 5 and 2 year old or playing the Xbox in rare moments of peace. But by night (at least, on the night of Saturday 13th December), I'll be stepping into the cage for my first ever MMA fight.

I'm doing this to raise money for two causes close to my heart.

The first is Anal Cancer Foundation, a charity that raises vital funds to save lives and improve the quality of life for everyone affected by anal cancer, including my mum, who was diagnosed earlier this year. Seeing the struggles she has gone through in the last few months, and the absolute fight and positivity that she has shown, makes me want to fight so her and others like her no longer have to.

The second cause I'm raising money for is Vasculitis UK. This charity works to raise awareness and improve the recognition, diagnosis and treatment of Vasculitis diseases. This cause is close to my heart too as my wife was diagnosed with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis at 13 years old after years of being turned away from doctors. I am fighting to raise awareness of Vasculitis so no one else gets turned away when they need help most.

Training for the MMA fight will be intense and gruelling, but nothing compared to the real challenges people face everyday which these two charities aim to help.

I've never done anything like this before, and as daunting as it is, I'm excited to see how I cope in a real fight as opposed to one against a CPR! This fight means so much to me, not just as a challenge, but as a way of standing alongside my mother, my wife, and everyone else fighting their own fights.

Every donation, big or small, will make a major difference. Thank you for supporting me, cheering me on, and helping the Anal Cancer Foundation and Vasculitis UK continue their amazing work.