Singer Jake Quickenden has drawn comparisons with MMA and Dancing on Ice as he prepares to fight Paul Smith.
Smith is a comedian and the pair will put on a crossover event later this year under the Oktagon franchise, shown live on DAZN.
Quickenden has also appeared on Dancing on Ice, and he compared the intensity of his commitment to that endeavour as he has for MMA.
He explained: “Everything hurts, everyday there’s something new. Your groin hurts, so you turn up and you do something different. Your shoulder hurts, so instead you go for a run. I've always loved MMA. I've always loved watching MMA, but my respect for MMA has gone through the roof since training in it because I see these lads and what they go for every day. I've tried to live as much of the MMA life as I can.
“I'm trying to balance work, family and training. I'm trying to wake up half five most mornings, get a run in and go do a bit of strength and conditioning, and then ice baths and saunas, and then come to the gym late at night and do a couple of classes, whether it's wrestling or sparring.
“I do get obsessed with stuff. I did it with Dancing on Ice, that’s why I won it. I trained double what anyone else did. People were doing four hours a day, while I was doing eight hours because I wanted to win so bad. So I can't see Paul out training me.”
Quickenden added: “My dad always said to me, if you want to do something, you may as well do it 100%, if you go in and you've only trained 50% and you lose, you just walk out thinking I could have done more.
“So that's why I have thrown myself into MMA and that's why I've got broken fingers, and why my groin and hamstrings have been trouble and why my back has been in trouble.”