At 6'4", 155-pounds, UFC lightweight Corey Hill strikes an imposing figure. The former Florida high school state wrestling champion is by far the tallest lightweight in the UFC and looks down on many of the organizations' heavyweights.

Hill was cut down last year, however, at the UFC's "Fight for the Troops" event in December. He was looking to respond to a leg kick against opponent Dale Hartt after Hartt landed a solid leg kick against him. However, when Hill answered back in kind, Hartt checked the kick shattering Hill's fibula and tibia in one of the most gruesome injuries in recent MMA history.

"It would have been very easy for the MMA world to never see me again," Hill told MMAWeekly. "A lot of my friends were like, 'we can understand if you don't go back.' But that was a copout. I've been taught through life experience, if it's easy, you usually don't appreciate it as much as if you work your butt off. When you get there, it feels a lot better."

Hill was bedridden for four months and was facing a possible two year recovery after having a number of steel rods and pins inserted in his leg. However, Hill remained determined to come back strong.

"I decided, you know what? This is going to be my greatest comeback of all time," he said. "I want to not just return, I want to return as a better fighter. Now, I can't rely so much on pure athleticism all the time. Corey Hill has to have a game plan, versus, let's go out there and see where it ends up."

As for the leg, Hill says he won't hesitate to throw it with confidence, but he's become smarter about the way he uses his kicks.

"I'm a modest guy, but my friends say I'm a little overconfident," he said. "For me, realizing the injury, and realizing that someone may grab that leg, it was easy for me to start throwing kicks with it. That way, I could remove doubt in my mind, and the guys I'm sparring with know that 'he's not afraid of the leg kick.' I don't just throw it out there willy nilly anymore. I'm looking for a specific spot on your body and I'm really trying to connect, versus, when the injury happened, just reacting."

Hill expects to return to the cage sometime in January.

Source: www.fiveknuckles.com