PFL prospect Sammy Jo Luxton will never forget the moment she believed her life was ending.
After gaining significant attention from an explosive 18-second head kick knockout in March 2024, Luxton was set to make her debut with the PFL. However, her plans were drastically altered when she was diagnosed with cancer, requiring immediate emergency surgery. This, it turned out, was just the beginning of her health challenges.
Compounding these medical issues, Luxton was also facing the devastating reality of her father’s impending death following a major heart attack.
“My grandma passed away unexpectedly. Six weeks later, my dad suffered a heart attack and was placed in an induced coma,” Luxton recounted to MMA Fighting. “I went to be by his bedside. While there, I needed emergency surgery myself. So, I was in the ward directly below my dad. The hospital staff had to wheel me up to his ward in a wheelchair so I could be present when he passed.”
“Just six weeks later, I pushed myself back into training, eager to compete in the PFL European tournament. Unbeknownst to me, an infection from my surgery was spreading through my body, leading to sepsis.”
Sepsis is a severe, life-threatening condition caused by the body’s extreme response to an infection. Initially, Luxton mistook the early symptoms for the exhaustion of a demanding fight camp. She soon learned her situation was far more critical.
“I didn’t realize the severity; I just thought it was my body wearing down towards the end of camp,” she revealed. “I was sore, tired, and generally unwell. Then I started having tremors during training, which escalated to seizures. I was rushed to the hospital with a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit), which is essentially a life-or-death temperature.”
The extreme fever and sepsis put Luxton at high risk of severe organ damage or failure. Admitted to the hospital for urgent treatment, the British fighter vividly remembers hearing a nurse’s comment as she fought for survival.
“I developed sepsis and lost the ability to walk or talk. It was terrifying,” Luxton shared. “There was a trainee nurse on my ward, and I started experiencing chest pains. They laid me flat, grabbed the defibrillator – my heart rate was soaring – and she exclaimed, ‘She’s 25, she’s too young to die!’”
“I can’t fully describe the feeling, but my whole body just went limp. I thought, ‘I’m about to die.’ All I could think about was what my family had endured that year, and then having to lose me too? The thought was unbearable.”
Fortunately, doctors managed to bring her fever down and control the sepsis, ensuring Luxton survived to face another day.
Despite her deep love for MMA, the now 26-year-old fighter admitted that between the profound grief over her father’s death and her own near-fatal health scare, she questioned whether her dream of becoming a champion was permanently out of reach.
“After coming out of it, I genuinely felt the universe was telling me not to fight anymore,” Luxton stated. “It felt like the universe had put a definitive stop to it, that it wasn’t meant for me.”
Her struggle was further complicated by the ongoing pain of grieving her father, who had been a constant pillar of support, especially in her fighting career.
Luxton’s father was her staunchest advocate, never missing an opportunity to cheer her on. Losing him helped her understand the immense difficulty someone like UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov faced after the passing of his father, Abdulmanap, his most significant influence in both life and fighting.
“When you lose someone so close, especially someone so integral to your fight journey… my dad took me to my very first training session when I was 10. He took me to my first fight,” Luxton explained. “He was there throughout the rest of my career. We traveled the world together, and he had big dreams for me as a fighter.”
“When the European tournament was announced, he booked his flights and hotel for the final because that’s how certain he was that I would make it. I truly doubted whether I could mentally come back and do it without him.”
Between the loss of her father and her own brush with death, Luxton had initially put fighting aside. However, once she was physically able, she returned to the gym, initially using training as a means to regain her health and rebuild herself.
Gradually, Luxton increased her training intensity and began to feel like her old self again. Whether by chance or design, not long after she considered resuming her career, she received an unexpected call.
“I was still having hospital checkups through November, post-operation and post-sepsis,” Luxton said. “It was in November they confirmed I was fully healthy. I think that was the point where training shifted from just for fun. I knew I was at full health, and then hitting pads, getting my speed and cardio back, I just felt good about myself.”
“It was the very beginning of this year that I decided I wanted to fight again. My friends and family encouraged me to take more time if needed, but I insisted no, honestly, I felt ready right then. About a week later, we got offered a fight.”
Receiving the call from the PFL brought Luxton a feeling almost diametrically opposite to the despair she felt a year prior while grieving her father and battling a severe health crisis.
“That’s how I interpret it – the universe pushing me down, followed by the universe trying to lift me back up,” Luxton reflected. “I hadn’t had much contact with PFL over Christmas and New Year, so it was quite random when they called asking if I wanted to fight. I seized the opportunity with both hands.”
She approached training with newfound intensity, fueled by the knowledge of how close everything was to being stolen from her before she even truly began. Now, as she prepares for her debut at PFL Belfast on Saturday, Luxton is fighting for more than just herself.
“I was pushed all the way to the brink of retirement, and I’ve pulled myself back into this fight. I’m grabbing this chance with both hands because this is what I was meant to do,” Luxton declared. “I’m not a singer. I’m not a dancer. I’m a fighter, and that’s what I will do.”
“I want that world championship belt around my waist. I’m doing this for my father’s legacy now. Everyone who knew my dad knows he was quite frugal; he hated paying ticket prices for fights. He used to say, ‘They keep going up!’ Now, people tell me he’s got the best seat in the house for free. That perspective is what I carry with me. Once I’m in the cage, I know I’ll be able to hear him shouting instructions, and that’s what will drive me to the top.”
While her focus is fully back on fighting, Luxton remains profoundly grateful for the chance to compete again. The trials of the past year have given her a fresh outlook on life, and it’s a story she is willing to share widely.
“Honestly, my life in 2024 could have been a movie, and I hope as soon as I become a world champion, I get those producers on the phone!” Luxton said with a laugh. “I want Margot Robbie to play me. So, she better start training.”
