'Facing my hardest fight in memory of Nicole'
Brett NolanA Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter says he is taking on his toughest challenge yet as a way of turning grief into purpose.
Brett Nolan will compete in the Machine: Mixed Martial Arts Show, dedicating the fight to his friend Nicole Ingall, 27, who died in January after an epileptic seizure.
Nolan, from Cleator Moor, Cumbria, hopes to raise awareness of unexpected death in epilepsy, a condition he says "not many people know about".
He has also been raising money for an epilepsy charity in the run-up to the competition, which takes place in Newcastle from 18:00 GMT.
"The best way I could describe Nicole is young, wild and free. She was the light in everyone's lives," he said.
"It was a massive shock. It still hasn't really sunk in and I don't think it will for a lot of people for a very long time."
'Making her proud'
Nolan was already scheduled to compete in the show when Nicole died, and says the grief he felt made him want to do something to help others with epilepsy and raise awareness of the risks.
"I thought, I can't sit back and let this happen. I decided to raise money and awareness of a condition that not many people know about."
He trains at Ox Fight Academy in Workington and describes MMA as "a mixture of boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu... everything rolled into one."
Nolan admits the fight will be "the hardest of his life".
"The lad I'm fighting has a lot more experience, he's been training a lot longer than me. But it means more than a win or a loss."
So far, he has raised more than £4,000 for Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) Action.
"Hopefully, she would be proud, that's what I keep thinking all the time. I hope I'm making her and her family proud and giving them a little bit of happiness in such a dark time."