REECE McEwan says he is ready to put the calamitous call-off of his last fight behind him and come out swinging at his next match in July.

The Greenock fighter was set for his fourth fight at Europe’s top mixed martial arts promotion Cage Warriors in April, but a staph infection he picked up the week before the bantamweight bout ruled him out.

Reece then received more bad news when he was informed that a bus carrying loyal fans who had made the trip down to Manchester despite him having to pull out had burst into flames.

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He told the Telegraph he was relieved when he found out none of his friends and family had been harmed in the blaze and now wants to put the ill-fated fight behind him.  

Greenock Telegraph: Reece McEwan says he is ready to bounce back from his last fight's calamitous call off

He said: “About a week before the fight I had a wee lump in my shin which got infected.

“As a result of that there was no way I would have got medically cleared for the fight and I wouldn’t even have been in a condition to train, let alone fight.

“I had to go to A&E twice to get antibiotics and I ended up on 16 a day for about a week.

“It took about three weeks for the whole of my shin to clean up, it was like a bullet wound, it left a nice scar on my shin.

“I just felt empty when the fight got cancelled, but these things are part of the game.

““I had over 100 people coming down to Manchester from Scotland and because I’d sold loads of tickets they suggested I go down anyway with a plus-one and make a weekend of it, so I took my fiancé down and they covered the hotel and expenses.

“I told the people supporting me I’d be there anyway and asked them if they’d still want to come down, and about 40 of them decided to make the trip.

“Some people taking part didn’t even sell 40 tickets and I brought 40 people along when I wasn’t even fighting, it just shows the support I’m getting.

“About an hour and a half into the journey the bus caught fire in a freak accident.

“They had to stop the bus and let the fire brigade deal with it, but after a replacement bus arrived they managed to make the fight on time.

“My sister phoned me and said ‘I don’t want to panic you but our bus is on fire’.

“First and foremost I was glad everyone was alright, but my second thought was what if I had been fighting? Because they wouldn’t have told me until afterwards.

“Everybody was fine in the end, but it was the shock of it.”

The talented 28-year-old had hoped that notching a fourth consecutive Cage Warriors win at the event in Manchester would encourage the promotion’s bosses to give him a chance at the title.

Reece says he has now put the fight behind him, with his mind firmly fixed on his next bout in Cardiff on July 1 against Brazilian Leonardo de Oliveira.

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He added: “The way that I’ve got over this hardship is to say that I’ve had my fight.

“The way that I mentally prepare for this fight is to keep saying my last fight was April 15, I don’t see that as a loss I see that as a win.

“I’ve not known my opponent for most of this fight camp so for me this has been refreshing. I’ve focused on me and my skills.

“I’m becoming a complete MMA fighter now, I’m upping elements of my game.

“Hopefully that pays off in this fight at the end of July, I see myself getting another win and then looking forward to the next card in November and hopefully I’ll be fighting for a title after this win.

“You can’t take these moments for granted, anything can be taken away from you at any given moment.

“When you have to withdraw from a fight you can’t dwell on what might have been, it’s in my rear view mirror and I’m going to keep driving on towards that win.”