His coach drove him to the gym. They did 20 seconds of pad work. Then the coach drove him home. The next day, they went a little longer. That is where the road back began.

Ben “The Problem” Woolliss faces former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus in a bantamweight kickboxing bout at ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov on Prime Video, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, May 15.

The 30-year-old Grimsby native carries a 30-6 career record into his second promotional appearance, two months after stopping John Lineker with calf kicks in under two minutes at ONE Fight Night 41 in March. That win introduced him to the world. The story behind it has been his alone to carry for a decade.

Woolliss was first hit by what he now recognises as a severe Crohn’s disease flare at 20 years old. He went undiagnosed for five years, competing at elite level against decorated opponents with his stomach so inflamed he could not rest his own hands on it without pain. His coaches noticed. He waved them off and kept working.

“I’m walking into these rings fighting these multiple-time champions, these decorated fighters, and my mind is not where it should be. My thoughts were all just don’t get hit in the stomach. It is not the optimum way to be thinking about going into fights at this high level,” he said.

“I tried for years to find someone else who had been in a similar position. [Georges St-Pierre] spoke about it. I never really knew anybody else. I was just helplessly trying to do absolutely everything I could in my power to be able to just stay on this journey.”

Ben Woolliss kept one light on through the worst of it and it never went out

Ben Woolliss reached his lowest point in 2020. Crohn’s disease took 14 kilograms off his frame and left him largely confined to bed in Grimsby. He describes the condition at its worst as almost coma-like. Aware of everything around him. Unable to engage with any of it. Doctors pushed for surgery. He refused, knowing what that would mean for his career.

The diagnosis finally arrived around the turn of 2021. What followed was three years of extreme dietary protocols, one 20-second pad session at a time, compounding slowly toward the stage that now carries his name. The condition cannot be permanently eradicated. Medication and discipline can manage the symptoms. The man it tried to stop is the one fighting at Lumpinee Stadium this Friday.

“Even when I was 14 kilos down and laid at home, my only light was just me telling myself, ‘Okay, at some point you’re going to be able to stand.’ Then I could get to the gym. It started with just 20 seconds of padwork. But my light was always that. Even if I can do more tomorrow, it’s light. It got very dim, but it never went out,” he said.

“I actually feel like me being given this light and being able to compete and be on these platforms is actually a bigger mission than just me. I’m here to show that no matter what pit you’re in, with the right determination and focus, you can do whatever it is that you want to do.”