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LONDON – Mixed martial arts isn’t a sport you can just jump into on a whim, so when a big name from the sporting world signs up to fight for one of the world’s biggest MMA organizations, it’s going to attract attention.

That’s exactly what’s happening here in England, where a well-known former rugby union star has opted to cut short his sporting retirement to pull on the four-ounce gloves and fight as a Bellator heavyweight. His name is James Haskell, he’s six-foot-four, weighs around 260 pounds and he’s anything but a novice when it comes to competing at the highest level of sport.

Haskell has played rugby union for England 77 times and toured with the British and Irish Lions – the highest level of recognition for a rugby union player from these shores. In May, after a 17-year career, he announced his retirement. But now, he’s back as a mixed martial artist, and he’s looking to test himself in a whole new arena.

Haskell joining Bellator was the brainchild of the organization’s Head of Europe, David Green, who called the 34-year-old and made his out-of-the-blue offer. Haskell’s reaction was one of complete surprise.

“Have you gone completely mad?” he remembered as he chatted with MMA Junkie after his official unveiling at Viacom HQ in London. “Then, when I stopped nervously laughing and the idea started to germinate, I thought I might quite want to do this. So I said, ‘Look, I need to have a long think about this. This is quite a serious thing you’re asking me to do.’

“If I do it, I’m not going to be playing around. I’m not going to mess around. It’s a great organization with some incredible heavyweights in there, and a great heavyweight and light heavyweight champion in (Ryan) Bader.

“I went away and talked to my wife – she thought I was mad. I talked to my friends but, more importantly, I talked to London Shootfighters and said: ‘Listen. What do you think?’ and they gave me the thumbs up. I talked to a few guys who I really valued their opinion and decided to give it a go, and here we are.”

Haskell is certainly fully aware of the challenge that faces him. A seasoned fan of MMA and longtime member of the London Shootfighters gym, Haskell has cross-trained with some of the top coaches in England to help give his rugby skills an added edge.

But now that training is taking on a much more focused approach because, rather than drilling skills he can translate to the rugby field, he’s working the full gamut of techniques that are going to help him win a fistfight inside a cage. It’s a tall order, even for a man who knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of one of the toughest team sports in the world.

“You’ve seen people come across from the NFL into Bellator. You’ve seen professional wrestlers go across into MMA. I think there are elements of the conditioning, the professionalism, the dedication to what you’re doing, the physicality,” he said.

“But look, MMA is a unique sport. I’m not underestimating it. I know how hard it’s going to be. I know how tough the training’s going to be. And all of those disciplines (need to be) executed while someone’s trying to knock you out. It’s going to be very hard, it’s a tough journey and I’m looking forward to getting involved and doing it.

Haskell, who used to be a part of BT Sport’s UFC coverage in their Beyond the Octagon show, admitted he had previously thought of dabbling in white-collar boxing. But the offer to test his skills on the big stage with Bellator was the sort of challenge he simply couldn’t pass up.

“Going and doing a charity boxing match, where there will be a queue out the door of people ready to knock me out, doesn’t really appeal to me,” he said. “Doing it properly, on the big stage, testing yourself and doing the whole thing, working with sponsors, working with people and going on the whole journey. It’s go big or go home.”

James Haskell in action for England against Wales in 2011 (Mitchell Gunn-USA TODAY Sports)

The crossover appeal of a former rugby star taking up MMA is manna from heaven for Bellator in the U.K., who are already experiencing an uptick in interest from mainstream media outlets. While the media are picking up on Haskell’s story, some fans have reacted with cynicism. But that doesn’t concern Haskell, whose ability to zone out the white noise of social media and focus on the job at hand served him well during his playing days.

“Firstly, you should never ever, ever, ever worry about what anyone else thinks in life,” he said, firmly. “There are always naysayers. 2019 is the world of social media and the world’s going down the toilet via it, as far as I’m concerned. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but they don’t necessarily all deserve it.

“I’m going to train as hard as I can, I’m giving this a proper go. If it doesn’t go well, it won’t be from a lack of trying from my end. You derive your confidence from your coaches and your training. I put myself fully into the hands of the guys at London Shootfighters, that’s all that matters to me.

“I’m not worried about what people think. I don’t read the press. I don’t really care what people are saying. I’ll go into that and make sure that I respect Bellator, respect my opponents (and) respect the beautiful sport of MMA to the best of my ability. That’s all you can do.”

No firm timeline has been put in place for Haskell’s first fight, but a debut in the first half of 2020, possibly in London, could be on the cards. And while Haskell has competed on the world stage in front of crowds of 80,000 fans as a rugby player, he admitted the big-game nerves will still be there when he stands at the top of the Bellator ramp for the very first time.

“If my experience of rugby and performing on the big stage is anything to do with it, you’ll be thinking about two or three key points your coaches will have given you. You’ll be going through your strategy and your procedures for various things,” he explained as he visualized his first walk to the cage. “I’ll be excited, I’ll be nervous and I’ll be wanting to stay calm and deliver and execute a fight, execute a gameplan (and) do as I’m told. And, by that stage, I should feel very prepared.”

While the cynics may view it as a publicity stunt, and others might consider it an experiment, the challenge of competing as a heavyweight for Bellator is very real for Haskell, who has been a longtime fan and student of MMA. And the Englishman freely admits he doesn’t know how he will fare as he takes his first steps as a professional MMA fighter. But he said he will do so in the knowledge that he is giving it his all, and hopes to bring a load of fans, new and old, along for the ride.

“It’s a full learning experience. I have no idea (how it’s going to go)” he admitted. “I don’t know what I’m going to feel, I don’t know what it’s going to be like. I might win and hate it, I might lose and love it. I honestly don’t know. All I know is that I’m committed to that first fight, committed to being the best I can be (and) putting the training in.

“Let’s see what happens. It’s going to be a hell of a journey along the way. I’m going to try to document all of it, share my experiences and open myself up to another audience.”