Well-known Liverpool comedian Paul Smith is swapping the stage for the cage after he announced he will be making his MMA debut in one of the biggest promotions in Europe.
The 40-year-old funnyman has been updating his social media platforms with news of his training camp where he has been putting in the hard work ahead of a bout later this year.
In the announcement and later promotional videos it was also announced that Smith’s entire purse from the fight will be given to a charity of great importance to the comedian, Weapons Down Gloves Up, a non-profit organisation that focuses on getting young people to put down their weapons for life skills in the form of boxing and other opportunities.
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Smith says he’s “only doing this once so is going all in” for a special event known as ‘Stage to The Cage’.
The Eastern Europe-based promotion Oktagon MMA has more than 600,000 followers across Instagram and YouTube alone. The deal for Smith may be a part of the promotion's push for a wider UK audience following the signings of multiple British fighters in the last year ahead of its UK debut in 2023.
The popular Scouse comedian appears to be taking his debut very seriously, training with some of the best gyms in the UK and Ireland.
During a trip to Ireland, Smith shared images via social media of himself training with the head coach of Conor McGregor - John Kavanagh - at SBG Ireland in Dublin.
As well as rounds with Kavanagh, Smith has been training with former UFC fighter Tom Blackledge, head coach of Blackledge MMA. The gym based in the north west of England is home to both Cage Warriors and Oktagon fighters who have been assisting Smith’s MMA journey.
Blackledge MMA and Oktagon fighter James Lewis told the ECHO that Smith has gone straight into the deep end in his preparation and is putting in the hard work.
Lewis said: “Training is going great for Paul; he’s thrown himself in and is getting better every week. Paul is just like any other member of the team on the mats and is really competitive. I can’t wait to see how good he’s going to be, come fight night.”
As for his opponent, it is yet to be announced who the comedian will be facing in the cage. But whoever it is will need to be training as hard as the Liverpool joker.
