“I couldn't do these things if I wasn't a little bit nuts.
“You've got to believe in the craziness and trust the fact that you're going out there trying to do something that most people think is insane.”
Few people would disagree with Hannah Rankin’s description of herself being “a little bit nuts”, and today is just the latest development in what has been an extraordinary past eight years, to say the least.
Her transition from classical musician to world champion boxer was unconventional enough, but her next goal - to become world bare knuckle champion - initially seemed even more outrageous.
Except that Rankin is now just hours away from fulfilling this latest goal.
Today, in Dubai, Rankin will take on Jessica Borga for the BKFC featherweight title.
If she can overcome the American, the 34-year-old Scot will join an extremely select group of athletes who can call themselves two-sport world champions.
And that, she acknowledges, would be a monumental achievement.
“It would be massive for me to win this world title. I'm a big believer in saying what you're going to do and then go out and do it. People think I'm crazy, but they’ve thought that for a long time,” she laughs.
“I believe that if you have a dream, go out there and chase it. It needs to be scary, and you need to have that element of wondering if you will achieve it or not, but that’s what’s exciting.
“In the end, you might not always get to where you want to be but at least you've put yourself on a path to try something great.”
What makes this world title shot even more astonishing is that it comes in only Rankin’s second-ever bare knuckle fight.
Her debut came last October, in which she defeated German fighter, Deborah Melhorn by split decision and given Melhorn is a former European kickboxing champion, it was quite an introduction to the sport for the Scot.
Rankin ended the fight last October bloodied and bruised but the experience was, she says, the most valuable start to her bare knuckle career that she could ever have hoped for.
“My bare knuckle debut was the biggest learning curve of my life. No matter how much anyone tells you what it's going to be like or whatever you think it's going to be like, bare-knuckle boxing is just different,” she says.
“It's very fast-paced, very full-on from the get-go and a completely different style of fighting to boxing.
“In my first few rounds I was thinking, wow, is this how it's going to be?
“But by the time I hit the third, fourth and fifth rounds I felt much more comfortable.
“So even though I felt mentally prepared for it, there were still surprises.”
And while Rankin is no stranger to victory in the boxing ring - she won both WBA and IBO female super-welterweight world titles - the experience of winning on her bare knuckle debut was something she’ll never forget.
“Getting that win on my BKFC debut was absolutely amazing - I felt really elated afterwards, the Luss native says.
“I've been at the very top in boxing and fought for world titles on the biggest stages, but this bare-knuckle show last October was just incredible.
“And the BKFC fans are amazing because they're so into it from the very first fight - that energy and vibe from the crowd is incredible and as a fighter, you can really feed off that.”
“Borga is aggressive, fast-paced and she likes to put the pressure on opponents,” she says.
“But having learned so much in my first fight, I’m going in with a lot of confidence. And I'm looking to showcase what I can do.”
What gives this bout an extra edge is the clear animosity between the two women which not only does not faze Rankin, it’s something she actively embraces.
“There's definitely a bit of needle between us,” Rankin says of her and Borga.
“We don't particularly like each other so I think that's going to help with the tension.
“I don't mind that at all - when you're fighting someone, you don't want to be going into the ring with your pal.
“If the fighters don’t get on, it makes for a really good build up and a good fight. And it really increases that competition level so I’m excited to get in there and show what I can do.”
