Buck Cooper's weeks of training will hopefully see him win his modified Caged Muay Thai fight against fellow amputee Glenn Dickson.
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The fight is on this weekend [Saturday, June 1] and Buck is ready to do well.
The local fighter is not short on confidence.
"I think I am going to win, but I also think it's important not to go in there with just one game plan," he said.
Buck will have a plan and tactics ready to help him combat the dangerous Glenn Dickson.
"It's all good - I am excited," the local fighter said.
Buck's fight will be tough, bit it's nothing like the Shoalhaven resident's recovery from a head-on motorbike accident with another motorbike back in 2013.
Buck lost his left leg and the use of his left pec - he had to be brought back to life several times by a medical team - see below for more.
Moving from one tough battle to the next, Buck had trained hard for the Saturday, June 1 fight against Glenn Dickson who lost his right leg just below the hip when attacked by a bull shark.
Their bout is believed to be the first of its kind event held in Australia.
Both these fighters will return to battle it out in a 5 by 2 minute rounds of modified Caged Muay Thai at the Fred Moule Exhibition Centre Cairns.
The Little Forest respects his opponent and says there is only one person he needs to prove something to.
"I need to prove to myself that I have still got it, which may sound interesting given I have lost two limbs," he said.
"I feel ripped off by my accident and I feel like I was going to do great things. Since my accident, I decided I would go and do great things anyway."
The 36-year-old is looking forward to fighting in front of a 1500-strong crowd and having the bout live-streamed to a much wider audience.
"It is a big deal," he said about the crowd and the coverage.
Buck's opponent sounds like he means business.
"I know he is a bit of a beast actually," Buck said
"I know he is going to treat me like that bull shark.
"I am treating this like it's the fight of my life and there is no point in doing this sort of thing at this sort of level if you don't have that approach."
Buck said he will be a bit nervous prior to the event but he will be ready to go once the fight starts.
If things get tough Buck will draw inspiration by thinking about his two children.
"No matter how many times I get knocked down I will always get back up," he said
"Bad things happen all the time and you have just got to be optimistic and positive about it - and just go for your dreams as well."
He said people often get held back by negative self-talk or negative talk from others.
"You just have to go for what you want to go for and do it with 100 percent commitment, and that is what I am doing with this fight, " he said.
Buck has a fearless attitude - particularly when it comes to sparing opponents.
"I get my drive from sparring and fighting people with no disabilities," he said
Buck said he goes reasonably well when fighting and sparring against more able-bodied opponents.
"Some guys definitely towel me up but that is to be expected," he said
He gets offended and cranky when people take it easy on him - he wants their best shots.
"I train every day - so every day I get better," he said.
To prepare for the bout Buck also makes sure he eats all the right food - no junk food for this fighter.
"One hundred percent," he said when asked if he also liked the discipline side of what is needed to prepare for such a fight.
He said everyone needs a bit of discipline in their lives.
Buck has lived in the Ulladulla region since he was 11-years-of-age and went to school at Shoalhaven Anglican School and then Ulladulla High.
His martial arts background and training started when he was five years old and he had a break when he turned 11-years and then got back into the sport.
"I have a passion for martial arts," he said adding his main passion was for MMA [mixed martial arts]
Buck also enjoys philosophy and has just started to write a book on some of the things he learnt in his life.
He does need sponsors for the costs involved in getting up to the event.
People who want to sponsor Buck can contact him on social media at https://www.facebook.com/buck.cooper.16 where more information on the fight can be found.
Accident and recovery
There have been a few times when Buck had felt sorry for himself but added it was not to the degree that people would think.
"I try to be positive and optimistic about everything. I think it does not matter what situation you are in and if there is nothing you can do about it - then it's a waste of energy and time focusing on that," he said
"A 'can't mentality' is a negative thing but an 'I can mentality' is a positive thing and I can do a lot of really amazing stuff and anyone can."
The accident. Note: graphic content
Buck had a head-on motorbike accident with another motorbike back in 2013 - his leg was torn off and pulling the nerve that went from his arm out from his spinal cord.
He broke every rib on his left side, puncturing a lung and shattering his pelvis. His bladder was torn in half and it was not a pretty sight as he lay on the road.
Most of his blood was lost, dying multiple times before being brought back to life each time. It was touch and go for about five days and he was in a coma.
Buck lost his left leg and his ability to use his left pec and arm but continues to train every day.
He has a never-give-up approach to life.
