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'There is a large element of fear involved...' - James Haskell on his switch from rugby to MMA
By Liam Heagney
James Haskell has insisted his dalliance with professional MMA fighting isn’t a publicity stunt.
The former England and Lions back row retired from rugby at the end of the last season, but it hasn’t taken the 34-year-old long to re-emerge as a very different kind of sportsman as he has announced a deal that will see him make his cage fighting debut under the Bellator banner.
“I’m not messing around with this,” he insisted at his media conference unveiling this week. “With a lot of people it has been overwhelmingly support, but some think it is a bit like that scene in Rocky III where he is wearing golden gloves in training and it’s all showbiz and he gets absolutely filled in by Clubber Lang.
“That is not what I’m about. I'm dedicating my life to this. I want to make sure I’m in the best possible shape whatever happens at the end if it. I’m going to put as much dedication into this as I did to rugby.
“I’m deadly serious about it… I don’t want this to be the case where I get into the cage and it looks like I have never taken a punch before and it looks like I’m just here for fun. I'm not about that.”
Beneath Haskell’s chutzpah, however, is an element of genuine fear that it might all go horribly wrong. “I have gone out of one sport that has been very attritional, very tough, and I’m going into something that is very unknown.
“Personally, there is a large element of fear involved. Anyone who says they are not scared of this sort of thing is either lying or coming out with pretence. For me I want to test myself.
“Mike Tyson said it, everyone has got a plan until you get hit in the face. For me it is a test, it’s a journey. I have missed the strictness and discipline (of being a professional sportsman). I now know where I have to be and I’m going back to having a really professional dedication.”
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Latest Comments
Don't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
Go to commentsHopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
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