Retired Boxer Ricky Hatton Hints at Promoting MMA in England

Speaking with Studio MMA on the red carpet of Friday’s Fighters Only World MMA Awards in Las Vegas, recently retired boxing star Ricky Hatton explained how his newfound interest in MMA grew from cheering on his English countryman Michael Bisping:

“Initially, I was a Michael Bisping fan, ‘cause he’s just down the road in Liverpool. He’s just down the road from Manchester, from me. In becoming a Michael Bisping fan, I’ve become a mixed martial arts fan. My knowledge is not as good as what it maybe can be, but bit by bit, I’m getting more and more of a fan. It fascinates me. ... Before I started watching Michael, I thought, ‘Oh, they just roll about on the floor.’ That is the opposite of what they do. It don’t matter how good you are with [your hands], they get you in a certain position and break your arm. Knowing that, it fascinates me massively.”
The 34-year-old, whose Hatton Promotions stages boxing cards in his home country, also hinted that he could be interested in promoting MMA in the future:

“I’m a boxing promoter back in England now, and mixed martial arts is so popular. When you stand on the red carpet and you see the turnout here, and some of the people that are here, it shows you how far mixed martial arts has come in such a short space of time. Even though I’m in professional boxing back in England, who’s not to say that I won’t dip my toe in the promoting of the mixed martial arts? We’ve got to move with the times. It’s so massive now -- not just in the United States, back in England and globally -- it’s getting bigger and bigger all the time.”