Court McGee's Work Beyond the Cage: Recovery, Speaking and The McGee Project

Short answer: Court "The Crusher" McGee is a Utah pro MMA fighter who retired in October 2026. Sober since April 2006, he founded the nonprofit McGee Project in 2015 and speaks about addiction and recovery in high schools, universities, prisons, youth detention centers and community events, with the message that recovery is possible.

Most fans know Court McGee for what he did on fight night. In Utah and beyond, many people know him for something else: years of showing up in classrooms, correctional facilities and treatment settings to talk honestly about addiction. This post focuses on that public work, because it's a big reason we're proud to have him in our corner at MMA Mattress.

Who Court McGee is

McGee grew up in northern Utah. According to The McGee Project, he wrestled at Layton High School and placed at the state level. The Deseret News reports that he grew up in Ogden, learned martial arts young and hoped to wrestle in college.

A long career, finished on his own terms

McGee spent well over a decade competing as a pro MMA fighter at the top level of the sport. He announced that his October 3, 2026 bout in Salt Lake City would be his last, and he retired after that fight in front of his home-state crowd, as reported by MMA Fighting and MMA Junkie. Rather than going over results, we'd point to the choice itself: he picked the time and place to finish, close to where he grew up.

Sober since April 2006

McGee has been open about his past. The McGee Project's biography says that in the early 2000s he began taking painkillers after an injury, which led to addiction to heroin, cocaine and alcohol. In 2005, after an overdose, he was declared clinically brain dead for eight minutes. He was resuscitated and had to learn to walk and talk again.

He has been clean since April 2006. In an October 2026 interview, the Deseret News gave the date as April 16, 2006, and described how a man in long-term recovery encouraged him to go to treatment and attend 12-step meetings. McGee told the paper he still takes part in a 12-step program weekly, works on his recovery daily, and helps others who are struggling, some of them for many years.

The Deseret News also reports that since getting sober he reunited with and married his high school sweetheart, Chelsea, and that the couple has three sons. He trains and instructs at Agema Jiu Jitsu in Provo, Utah.

The McGee Project

In 2015, McGee founded The McGee Project, a nonprofit that the Deseret News says was created to "save young people from the disease of addiction." The organization's own site describes its mission plainly: recovery is always possible, and every life matters.

The project's approach, as laid out on its website, treats addiction as an illness rather than a moral failure, and puts weight on human connection. It encourages schools to build a culture of compassion, so students who are struggling, or who love someone who is, feel safe asking for help. The site emphasizes connecting students and families with resources rather than lecturing them.

Speaking in schools and juvenile facilities

Speaking is the center of McGee's public work. The McGee Project lists four main settings:

• High schools, where the goal is to connect with teenagers one-on-one and build compassion for peers who struggle.
• Universities, where he speaks with current students and future educators about addiction and where to find help.
• Prisons, where he works with people who struggle with addiction and connects them with resources.
• Youth detention centers, where the site says he speaks with young people directly and in their own language.

According to the organization, before an event McGee meets with administrators, counselors and teachers to tailor the talk to that school or group. The site says his favorite part is staying afterward to talk with kids one at a time. Its theme is "It's always about the ONE": reaching the single person in the room who needs to hear that recovery is possible.

His biography adds that he regularly visits prisons, rehab facilities, youth correctional facilities, schools and churches to speak about addiction and help with recovery programs.

Summits and community events

McGee's speaking has reached beyond Utah. The McGee Project's past-events page lists youth summits on the opioid crisis, including programs in West Virginia and New Mexico, where he spoke alongside other prevention and recovery advocates such as Jim Wahlberg. The page says he has spoken at events throughout Utah and across the United States, and it invites schools, youth centers and community groups to request a visit.

Why he's backing MMA Mattress

MMA Mattress was built on a simple idea: fans buy something they need anyway, and part of the profit supports the fighters who recommend it. Court McGee's story is the kind we want people to associate with this sport: discipline, honesty, and years of giving back without a spotlight.

We want to be careful here. We aren't claiming any connection between a mattress and anyone's recovery, and we're not speaking for The McGee Project. Our point is narrower. McGee has spent two decades showing what consistent, daily work looks like. Recovery in training, the kind where you rest well so you can show up again tomorrow, is a smaller version of that same habit. That's why he's leading our launch.

How your purchase helps fighters

When you buy a WinkBeds or Tommie Copper mattress from MMA Mattress, you pay the brand's own price. We don't add markups or run fake discounts.

[X% of profit] to fighter training

[X% of profit] from each sale goes to support the training of the pro MMA fighters who back our store. Read the details in Where Your Money Goes and on our Support the Fighters page.

If you'd like to support McGee's recovery work directly, visit The McGee Project. That's a separate nonprofit, and buying from us is not a donation to it.

FAQ

Who is Court McGee?

Court "The Crusher" McGee is a Utah pro MMA fighter who retired in October 2026 after his final fight in Salt Lake City. He is also an addiction-recovery speaker and the founder of The McGee Project.

What is The McGee Project?

A nonprofit McGee founded in 2015 to help young people avoid and recover from addiction. Through it he speaks in high schools, universities, prisons, youth detention centers and at community events.

How long has Court McGee been sober?

Since April 2006, which makes it more than 20 years as of 2026.

Does buying from MMA Mattress donate to The McGee Project?

No. [X% of profit] from MMA Mattress sales supports fighter training. To support The McGee Project, contact the nonprofit directly.

Back the fighters who back you

Shop fighter-picked mattresses and send [X% of profit] to the training of pro MMA fighters like Court McGee. Then read our fighter story.

Sources: mcgeeproject.org; McGee Project biography; McGee Project past events; Deseret News, Oct. 1, 2026; MMA Fighting and MMA Junkie, Oct. 3, 2026.

MMA Mattress is an independent retailer. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by any MMA promotion or by The McGee Project. All trademarks belong to their owners.