Comedian Paul Smith has discussed the huge change that MMA training has made to his life.
Smith will fight tonight at the AO Arena in Manchester as part of the Oktagon 48 event, coming up against X Factor star Jake Quickenden.
The two are taking part in ‘Stage to the Cage’, which sees two celebrities crossover into the world of mixed martial arts.
The pair have trained for a year to get ready, and Smith said that the commitment has radically altered his life, for the better.
He explained: “I am 100% saying I am not going to carry on fighting, but I will definitely continue training! I travel a lot and I know Jake does as well, and to do that is fantastic, but sometimes it can get a bit lonely when you’re doing that.
“These gyms are like families and they really welcome you into these places and show you the love that they do, it’s been a real eye-opener here for me.
“Especially at Blackledge and the gym that I train in most of the time, they’ve become like a family to me and I don’t see myself ever not going there, I will continue to do jiu-jitsu. I’ve bought my Gi and I want to test myself in that as well.
“Black belt is the next challenge for me because I have thoroughly enjoyed it and it will be fun going in and putting on a show. I just hope we don’t look completely out of place on the card with all these pro guys.”
“No one is heckling me anymore, everyone is scared! But to be honest, being on the road and travelling is such an up and down experience.
“If I’m really honest, I relied a lot on drinking and other things to keep me going. Trying to find that gig high and trying to chase it. If I’m really honest, I was in a bad place when I started this. Having the routine and the discipline to keep me level-headed and keep my mental health clean has been a God-send.
“I’m 41 years old, I was a fat comedian and today I’m a comedian in a good shape so I would recommend it to anyone.”